With the arrival of the Year of the Snake, the Liaoning Provincial Museum launched “The Auspicious Snake Bestows Blessings: Zodiac Cultural Exhibition for the Year of the Snake 2025”. The exhibition aims to interpret the cultural significance of the zodiac snake through snake-themed art and folk cultural relics, showcasing the important symbolic connotation of the snake in traditional Chinese culture. The exhibits facilitate a more profound understanding of traditional Chinese culture for the audience, while conveying a positive vision of good fortune, harmony and well-being in the Year of the Snake.

The snake ranks sixth among the twelve Chinese zodiac signs, corresponding to “Si”, the sixth of the twelve Earthly Branches. Regarded as a good omen of luck and health, and a symbol of wisdom and strength, the snake is imbued with rich cultural connotations, carrying people’s wishes for auspiciousness, wisdom and vitality. During this exhibition, nearly 60 pieces (sets) of snake-themed art masterpieces and folk cultural works have been unveiled at the Liaoning Provincial Museum to demonstrate the profound culture of the zodiac snake, allowing the audience to experience the fun and unique charm of traditional culture. Among the cultural relics on display, a cylindrical pottery jar carved with a snake biting a toad, unearthed from the Chahai Site in Fuxin, has garnered the most attention, which is the earliest snake pattern found in China so far. The cultural relic, standing as a testament to the worship and reverence of the Chahai ancestors for the snake, is one of the key exhibits.

During the Spring Festival holiday, the Liaoning Provincial Museum received a total of more than 116,000 visitors. This represents an increase of 19.33% over the same period last year, marking a new historical high.