Dragon Column

Song Dynasty
Holy Mother Hall, Jin Shrine, Shanxi

The dragon columns were erected in 1087; they provide a great sense of drama to the building, as if the dragons were caught in the act of climbing up the columns. As both royal emblems and water symbols, the dragons are doubly appropriate as decorations for this palatial hall, that is located in the precincts of a water goddess and dedicated to a royal ancestor. Actually they are triply appropriate, since dragons are water creatures and hence protective against fire.