The exciting Year of the Horse
Han bricks to modern ink trace majestic zodiac journey of the Year of the Horse
Ceramic Horse, Eastern Han, 1st to 2nd century CE
Celebrating the Year of the Horse
Art, history and culture are inevitably intertwined. This interplay is vividly demonstrated by the 40 artefacts showcased in the Celebrating the Year of the Horse exhibition at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Horse and Lady, 1966, Ting Yin-yung (1902-1978), Collection of Department of Fine Arts, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Here, stone, ceramics, gold and ink capture the allure of the seventh animal of the Chinese zodiac – the horse to celebrate the Year of the Horse.
Related Amazing Auspicious Year of the Dragon
From the Han dynasty onward, these masterful depictions embody the myths and history that have crowned the horse as a symbol of majesty across centuries of Chinese civilisation.
Tomb Brick with Winged Horse, Phoenix, Tiger and Crane, (Western Han, 2nd century BCE to 1st century CE)
The show opens with Tomb Brick with Winged Horse, Phoenix, Tiger and Crane.
Related Ceramic treasures from the Tang dynasty
This Han dynasty (202 BCE to 220 CE) stone tablet of a mythical winged horse suggests a different myth than the usual tale about the Jade Emperor’s race to determine zodiac order. In the familiar story, the horse is outmanoeuvred by a snake and comes in seventh.
Gold Horse with wings, Tubo, 7th to 9th century CE
A less common legend says the horse originally lived in the Heavenly Palace with wings, able to run, fly, and swim. It served as the Jade Emperor’s favoured steed. Because it had become arrogant and caused trouble, the emperor punished it by removing its wings and imprisoning it beneath Kunlun Mountain for 300 years.
Related Fabulous artefacts of luxury and Power of Persia to Greece
A human ancestor later freed the horse. In gratitude, it laboured for humans by ploughing fields, pulling carts, and fighting in battles. This loyalty led people to recommend it when the Jade Emperor chose the twelve zodiac animals.
Ceramic Horse, Eastern Han, 1st to 2nd century CE
The myth may be disputed, but the Han dynasty Emperor Wu was enamoured of horses from the Western Regions and called them heavenly horses.
Related Marc Progin Back to Nature photographic journey through Mongolia
Beyond their use in politics and war, he likely wanted these horses in his quest for immortality.
Jade Emperor chose the horse as one of the twelve zodiac animals
He hoped heavenly horses, thought to be related to dragons, would carry him to eternal life.
Related Dragon Lodge Fascinating Haunted supernatural energy
Although it is doubtful that Emperor Wu obtained immortality, his quest inspired generations of poets and artists.
Yellowish Glazed Figure of Female Rider, Sui, 6th to 7th century CE
“A gaunt horse on the eastern meadows pains me deeply, its bones jutted rugged like a wall.” Du Fu’s poem The Gaunt Horse: A Ballad expresses lament over unrecognised talent and life’s vicissitudes.
Related Lingnan revolutionised Chinese calligraphy in the 20th century
It established an enduring literary theme later popularised in Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) paintings. Paintings of horse herds almost invariably included at least one Gaunt Horse, an oddity among the group.
Gaunt Horse, Zhang Mu (1607-1683)
Transitioning to symbolic pairings, Horse under Willow Tree represents a classic motif in Chinese art.
Related Chinese Reverse Glass Painting from the Mei Lin Collection
Willows, valued for rapid growth and soil-stabilising qualities, lined ancient embankments and pathways.
Horses became linked with willows in literature and painting
Horses, often seen on these roads, became linked with willows in literature and painting.
Related Chinese calligraphy artworks echo joys and resonate
At first symbolising travel, the motif eventually conveyed feelings of separation and longing.
Horse under Willow Tree, 1667, Zhang Mu (1607-1683)
Another classic pairing is Monkey and Horse. Ancient belief held that keeping monkeys with horses was good for equine health.
Related Kings’ Inscriptions contemporary interpretations of traditional calligraphy
This practice appears in many Han dynasty images of paired animals. Later, people used this motif for wordplay.
Monkey and Horse, (detail), 1668, Zhang Mu (1607-1683)
Beyond these auspicious associations, the monkey-horse pairing appears in the Buddhist metaphor “Mind as Monkey, Will as Horse” popularised in Japan since the Edo period.
Related Ukiyo-e Japanese wood block prints of Utagawa Hiroshige
This concept illustrates human restlessness and worldly desires as wild animals.
Imagery of monkeys controlling horse reins visualises the taming of one’s wild thoughts and impulses, while in some paintings, horses with unfocused, darting eyes and restless postures embody unrestrained desire.
Related Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024 create interest in conservation
Gao Jianfu’s Steed in the Rainstorm seems similarly inspired.
Steed in the Rainstorm, c.1910, Gao Jianfu (1879-1951)
Turning to contrasts, both horses and donkeys served as common riding animals. However, they carried distinctly different cultural associations.
Related Hong Kong’s Evening Wildlife photos by Lawrence Hylton
In literature, horses are typically linked with warfare and official positions, while donkeys represent misfortune, hardship, and kuyin (the devoted pursuit of poetry). Thus, donkey riding as a literary motif became more prominent from the mid-Tang dynasty (618-907) onward.
Meng Haoran Riding Donkey in Snow, Hu Zhang (1848-1899)
In Tang and Song (960-1279) literature, the poet Meng Haoran was portrayed as dignified and noble when riding horses.
Related Tea ware from Song dynasty on show alongside contemporary artists Yan Yung and Inkgo Lam
When on a donkey, he appeared as a humble scholar or recluse (Meng Haoran Riding Donkey in Snow). He was often associated with scenes such as crossing a bridge in the snow or reciting poetry. This portrayal gained widespread appreciation and evolved into a classic subject in Chinese painting.
Rolling Horse, 1669, Zhang Mu (1607-1683)
Another distinctive motif appears in the painting Rolling Horse. In these works, horses rolling on the ground – poetically termed “dust rolling” – are depicted in an unbridled, instinctive state.
Related M+ Sigg Collection contemporary Chinese art 1970 to 2012
This likely reflects a yearning for freedom and spontaneity. Li Xian, the elder brother of Emperor Xuangzong of the Tang dynasty, was said to have pioneered this theme, though the earliest surviving examples date from Northern Song paintings.
Court painting featuring over a hundred steeds
Continuing the theme of representation, One Hundred Steeds depicts 104 horses. Four serve as mounts for grooms; the remaining constitute the hundred steeds referenced in the title.
One Hundred Steeds, (19th century or later), Photo courtesy of CUHK
The work features a court painting style and likely portrays an imperial horse farm. The horses themselves are diverse, including foals and gaunt horses.
Related Twentieth-Century Chinese Oil Paintings Across Time and Space
They may symbolise the Qing court’s (1644-1912) inclusive approach to recruitment, regardless of background.
Snuff Bottles with Eight Steeds Design, Qing, Daoguang (1821-1850)
Continuing with commemorative art, Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty ordered images of six war horses to be carved on his Zhao Mausoleum.
Related Collection of the most lavishly made Chinese Snuff Bottles
These horses are known as The Six Steeds of Zhaoling. Their breeds, names, and three-tufted manes are linked to Turkic culture.
The Six Steeds of Zhaoling (stone reliefs commissioned by Emperor Taizong of the Tang), Photograph by Edouard Chavannes at Zhaoling, 1907
Several of The Six Stone Steeds were stolen in the early 1900s, drawing widespread public attention and requests for rubbings.
Related Sam Tung Uk 200-year-old Hakka walled village built during the Qing dynasty
By then, two horses had already been sent abroad, and the rest were damaged, making them hard to rub down completely.
Rubbing of Te Qin Biao, from The Six Stone Steeds of Zhaoling, Rubbing by Li Yuexi (1881-1946)
Li Yuexi developed a new way to combine painting and rubbing, enabling him to create a full-sized work in the rubbing style.
Related Tang dynasty golden age artistic highlights
The show commemorating the Year of the Horse concludes with Yin Shoushi’s Galloping Horse, a modern ink painting rooted in the 20th‑century tradition of Chinese horse painting. In this work, a single horse is depicted in full motion.
Galloping Horse, 1979, Yin Shoushi (1919-1998)
It is rendered in ink with a few decisive, calligraphic strokes rather than dense modelling. This approach gives the horse a lean, energetic, and forward‑driving presence, rather than a decorative or static one.
Related Neolithic clues to Origins of Chinese Civilisation
By distilling the essence of the zodiac horse’s spirit, the artist takes away background, figures, and setting. The focus is on momentum, will, and steadfastness. It echoes, in modern form, the ancient fascination with heavenly steeds and transcendence that shaped Emperor Wu’s imagination over 2000 years ago.
Related Maritime Silk Road Zodiac Heads from Old Summer Palace fountain clock
Celebrating the Year of the Horse is on show until 24 May 2026 at the Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Text and photos Martin Wray
