In Chinese culture, twelve different animals are used to stand for the Chinese birth years. 2023 is the Chinese Year of the Rabbit. At the beginning of 2023, rabbits have been used for artistic themes around the world. As a cultural image(文化意象), rabbits have been in different forms of art worldwide, including stamps, colorful lights and exhibitions.
The worldwide popularity of the Chinese Rabbit might have something to do with Western culture. For people in Europe, rabbits mean new life and prosperity(繁荣) as they can give birth to many young ones. So the image of a rabbit is easily accepted by people in the West.
Through the Chinese Year of the Rabbit, people from other counties can get a closer look into Chinese culture. On January 21, an exhibition was held in a museum in the US to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit 16 excellent Chinese artworks on rabbits were on show. It showed visitors that rabbits have been a popular artistic theme in China since ancient times. The museum has also explained the meaning behind rabbits in China to visitors. People could also learn about the stories of the rabbit and the moon in China.
Images of the 12 Chinese animals are fun to everyone. They can help with communication between different cultures.
