In Chinese culture, the horse is a deeply meaningful image, far beyond the simple role of a working animal or means of transportation. From an essential position in history to images in art and spiritual life, the horse has become a complex symbol of power, capacity and aspiration to reach out.
First of all, horses played a key role in the history of state organization and operation. In the pre-modern Chinese society, the possession, management and use of horses was not only a technical issue, but also associated with the ability to ensure security, traffic and stability of the court.
Due to limited natural conditions, many Chinese dynasties had to find ways to access and exchange horses from Central Asian regions, considering them as a strategic resource serving border management, administrative movement and maintaining social order. This shows that horses are not only a means, but also an element that constitutes the power and management capacity of the state in Chinese history.
The presence of horses is also associated with the Silk Road - the traffic artery connecting China with West Asia and Europe - when horses become the center of travel groups and transport networks. Through this, not only goods but also knowledge and cultural elements are circulated through vast geographical spaces.
Gradually, horses were associated with the concept of connecting, moving and expanding space, reflecting the aspiration and ability to "go far" in Chinese history.
Not only in practice, horses are also a major artistic theme of Chinese civilization. Since the Tang Dynasty, many paintings have taken the image of horses as the center of expressing technique and aesthetic thought, emphasizing vitality and charisma rather than depicting anatomy in detail.
Typically, the painting "Night-shining white" by painter Han Gan, created around the mid-8th century. The work is considered one of the best horse portraits of Chinese painting, evoking the spirit of spirit and strong vitality in the style of royal watercolor painting.
In the 20th century, painter Tu Bi Hong continued to exploit the image of horses as a symbol of spiritual strength and national aspirations in the context of modern China with many upheavals. His horse paintings not only depict physical physique, but also depict the vitality, resilience and spirit of rising up of people in wartime.
From historical layers to art, horses in Chinese culture appear as a multi-layered symbol, containing power, material strength, spirit of advancing and aspiration to transcend space boundaries - reflecting the core values in the way Chinese people perceive the world, the future and themselves.
