Dragon Express Restaurant - The Decor
WOODCARVING - The four plants representing the four seasons
In addition to the beautiful art work that features in our restaurant, we also have carvings showing the Four Plants that represent the Four Seasons. Follow this link for more information on The Four Plants Representing The Four Seasons that often appear in Chinese art.
THE EIGHT IMMORTALS
In famous Chinese Mythology exist The Eight Immortals. This group of transcendent beings each represent an aspect of nature, and are important to the Chinese way of life. Follow this link for more information on The Eight Immortals.
ART PRINTS REPRESENTING WORLD FAMOUS CHINESE ART
Our restaurant decor features several very famous paintings from Chinese historical art.
See below for more information and a look at these masterpieces featuring a glimpse at Chinese history.
Han Xizai Gives A Night Banquet
Han Xizai Gives A Night Banquet is a scroll drawn by Gu Hongzhong, a painter in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907-960).
It is now housed in the Palace Museum in Beijing.
The main character Han Xizai in the painting was a high official in Southern Tang, but later attracted suspicion from the Emperor Li Yu.
To protect himself, Han pretended to withdraw from politics and become addicted to a befuddled life full of entertainment.
Li sent Gu from the Imperial Academy to record Han's private life, leading Gu to produce this famous artwork.
This painting, depicting scenes of Han's banquet, narrates through five distinct sections: Han Xizai listens to the pipa (a Chinese instrument) with his guests; Han beats a drum for the dancers; Han takes a rest during the break; Han listens to the wind music; and the guests talk with the singers. There are more than 40 characters in the paintings, all of the lifelike figures with different expressions and postures. The painting was Gu's most well-known work, as well as one of the most outstanding artwork from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.
Noble Ladies in Tang Dynasty
"Noble Ladies in Tang Dynasty" are a serial of paintings drawn by Zhang Xuan and Zhou Fang, two of the most influential figure painters during the Tang dynasty (618–907), when the paintings of noble ladies became very popular.
The paintings depict the leisurely, lonely and peaceful life of the ladies at court, who are shown to be beautiful, dignified and graceful.
Zhang Xuan was famous for integrating lifelikeness and casting a mood when painting life scenes of noble families. Zhou Fang was known for drawing the full-figure court ladies with soft and bright colors. The paintings are spread around in the collections of museums nationwide.
Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival
"Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival" is a panoramic painting by Zhang Zeduan, an artist in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).
It is the only existing masterpiece from Zhang, and has been collected by the Palace Museum in Beijing as a national treasure.
The hand scroll painting is 528.7 cm long and 24.8 cm wide. It provides a window to the period's economic activities in urban and rural areas, and captures the daily life of people of all ranks in the capital city of Bianjing (today's Kaifeng, Henan Province) during Qingming Festival in the Northern Song Dynasty. It is an important historical reference material for the study of the city then as well as the life its residents rich and poor.
The painting is composed of three parts: spring in the rural area, busy Bianhe River ports, and prosperous city streets. The painting is also known for its geometrically accurate images of variety natural elements and architectures, boats and bridges, market place and stores, people and scenery. Over 550 people in different clothes, expressions and postures are shown in the painting. It is often considered to be the most renowned work among all the Chinese paintings, and it has been called "China's Mona Lisa."
