2024 marks the year of the dragon in the Chinese traditional lunar calendar. It may interest you to know that Wales and China have shared so much in common that goes beyond the dragons. Did you know that the 1933 National Eisteddfod chair was crafted by four men in Shanghai?
Dragons are notably the most significant creatures in both cultures despite having different narratives of how they came into existence. They have gone beyond creatures and subjects in stories and literature. In both cultures they have transcended beyond just symbols and now represent a people, culture, traditions and the spirits of bravery, strength, and intelligence.
The National Library holds archives of the Wales-China Friendship Society established in 1975 to foster friendship and understanding between the two nation and most especially the Chinese people who had made a home in Wales. The society worked closely with the Chinese people’s association with friendship with foreign countries (CPAFFC) in Beijing and other associations in Europe. It has also worked with the British embassy in Beijing, the consulate in Shanghai and the Chinese embassy in London.
The society also drove various appeals and in 1988 which was also a year of the dragon, they jointly organized the first non-Chinese dragon exhibition in Shanghai, China, where items on display included drawings of dragons by Alderman Davies church primary school children, commissioned works of stained dragon windows by Sharon Patterson from Swansea, and musical compilations by Peter Rees (“The Dragon Sleeps” and “The Dragon Wakes”). The event was held on St David’s Day; the patron saint of Wales.
It is predicted that the Year of the Dragon will bring changes and challenges but also opportunities for development, courage, strength, prosperity, and good fortune.
Miidong P. Daloeng
Archives Decolonisation Project Officer
Category: Article