Chen Rong, Dragons, from Nine Dragons handscroll, Southern Sung Dynasty, 1244

The dragons in this work reflect the turbulent times associated with the Southern Sung Dynasty. Although the Northern Sung Dynasty was a time of peace and an expansion of artistic expression in China, the Southern period reflects a time when the Sung emperors fled to the south of China to escape invading Jin and Mongol invaders and develop a military strategy using gunpowder as an important component.