What does the image of "three-eared rabbit" in Dunhuang murals mean?

Three rabbit pictures are one of the unsolved mysteries.

As the old saying goes, "Where there is a moon, white rabbits pound seaweed." In history, the moon is often regarded as the soul of rabbits, and people are used to taking Jade Rabbit as a synonym for the moon. So the author uses rabbits to express the artistic conception of flying!

Three rabbits, ears connected, ran in the same direction. Touch each other, but never catch up with each other. There are three rabbits in the lotus well. Three rabbits use three ears, but one rabbit has the illusion of two ears. Modern composition theory also admires its creativity. The center of the picture is prominent, which breaks the static stability of the square with sports and is boring.

The symbol of "Three Rabbits" first appeared on the algae wells in Dunhuang. In addition, the image of "Three-Eared Rabbit" also appeared in temples built in the 6th and 7th centuries in China during the Sui Dynasty, churches in medieval England, and Mongolian metal utensils ... The "Three-Eared Rabbit" figure exists not only in Buddhist art, but also in all religions in the world. In all the pictures of rabbits with three ears, rabbits with three ears overlapping and chasing along a circle look almost identical.

More than a thousand years ago, Dunhuang was an important starting point of the Silk Road. This famous trade route connects China with Central Asia and Iran, and its branches extend to Tibet and South Asia. Besides commodities, religions and ideas also spread to distant places through this avenue. Perhaps, this is how the image of Saner spread.

Andrew, an art historian, said, "We don't know how these three pictures of rabbits spread to the West. The most reasonable explanation is that they exist on precious oriental silk used by western medieval churches to wrap sacred objects, cover altars and sew sacrificial clothing. "

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