The Chinese claim themselves as the heirs of the dragon, and we are very proud, arrogant and even emotional when we say so. But what does "heirs of the dragon" mean? The dragon is the only imaginative creature in the Chinese zodiac signs. It is, just like the relationship between chicken and egg. It is difficult to tell whether the dragon has nurtured the Chinese culture or vice versa. The Dragon is the Chinese interpretation of the heaven-earth-men relationships in their unique backgrounds. The Chinese believe that men have the potential to take off without limits, and so people can become dragons when they dream of being dragons. In this sense, the culture of dragon is the culture of dreams. A dragon can fly high in the sky, and can also live modestly on earth. The dragon flies when it needs to save the world; and it lives humbly when peace is on earth. It can hide itself in the deep when it is not needed by the world; it can also show up when people need it. It can be god-like or human-like. It gleams in the misty clouds. It flies and dives, nurturing all things on earth.

Several thousand years ago, people observed the sky and the earth. They found that every change in the universe was within a set of rules, and the I-Ching was hence written. If the Chinese Renaissance needs to rediscover the ancient wisdom by means of the study of ancient books, I-Ching must be the first book people should read.

Farmers in the ancient time were not educated and knew little about I-Ching, and so the book was used as a superstitious tool of Feng Shui and divination. In fact, I-Ching teaches us how to encounter the changes in nature and our lives. Each of the 64 hexagrams of I-Ching includes the notions of heaven at the top, earth in the middle and men at the bottom. All changes are related to the different interactions among these three elements. The ancient people believed that there are 64 situations in our lives that we need to face, and therefore there are 64 hexagrams in I-Ching.

There are often comments about "good fortune" and "misfortune" in the hexagrams. In fact, these two comments may not be applicable nowadays. To me, "good fortune" means "success" while "misfortune" means "flexibility". If we are flexible, we will succeed. This interpretation is more scientific and may better fit the modern era.

Regardless of the hexagrams, I-Ching teaches us that the most important attitude is "to comply with heaven and conform to men, one will not suffer misfortune".

I am not a scholar, I am an artist. I use arts to illustrate the notion of "complying with heaven and conforming to men" and to interpret the 64 hexagrams of I-Ching. May it be seen as a new life hatched by the culture of the dragon.