AnCient myths depicted in jade culture tributes

The Aurora Pavilion demonstrates traditional Chinese jade culture.

Jade exhibit in Aurora Pavilion.

AURORA Pavilion，the first pavilion for a Taiwanese enterprise since the start of Expos，is gaining increasing public attention as the opening of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China looms.

The pavilion was built by Aurora Furniture Co Ltd，a branch of Taiwan- based Aurora Group in Jiading.With itS theme of“Chinese Jade Cu lture， City’s New Styles，”it will demon- strate the traditional Chinese jade culture with modern cutting-edge technologies.

Myths of Red Hill Jade Figures

Red Hill is located close to the Yingjin River in the northeast suburb of Chifeng City，Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.In ancient times， as the story goes，nine fairieS broke the rules of the heaven and made the West Queen very angry.So in a panic，the nine fairies accidentally knocked over a rouge box and the rouge sprinkled over the hill，creating nine red peaks.Later it was named“Red Hill.”

At the top of the Aurora Pavilion is a pair of 6-meter-high Red Hill jade figures，which can be dated back to the Red Hill period（4000 BC to 3000 BC）.In ancient times，such figures were used to worship heaven and sometimes were a token of protection. The figure has a human body and the head of a dragon with four horns and two ears which resembles the rays of the sun or the God ofSun.

First Dragon in China

The C-shaped jade dragon， originally called Red Hill jade dragon， is renowned as the“First Dragon in China.”With a shape resembl ing the capitalized English letter“C，”the dragon was carved from an entire jade using techniques such as full relief and bas-relief.This well-polished relic epitomizes the outstanding techniques ofjade carving in that age，and also plays an important role in the study of the primitive religions in ancient China as well as the evolution of the image of Chinese dragon.

Jade Mountain-Cream of a Thousand Years’Jade Carving Skill

Carved with the technique of full relief，the jade mountain depicts various clear-cut and well-arranged elements including forests，humans， birds，animals and creeks，each with distinctive and vivid images.Such a sculpture is usually permeated with the techniques of painting，no matter the terms of its overall image，general layout or the arrangement of elements.

Innovative Expo Souvenirs

The exhibitor at the Aurora Pavilion has also designed a souvenir series called“Aurora Jade Collection-Four， Five&Six.”“Four”means the“four treasures of the study”（brush，ink， paper and in k-stone）.“Five”refers to the five Confucian virtues（benevo- lence，righteousness，manners，wisdom and credibility），while“Six”refers to six classical artS in ancient China（rites，music，archery，riding，writing and arithmetic）.The corresponding souvenirs have been designed and will be sold in the pavilion.