The history of the Chinese nation is long and profound, with Chinese civilizationstanding as the worldrsquo;s oldest continuous civilization. Ancient myths and stories, ascultural symbols, have flowed down through the river of time, shaped by thousandsof years of change. These narratives were inscribed onto artifacts by the ancients,and as we observe these objects today, countless intriguing questions arise:Why are there two large fish on either side of the personrsquo;s mouth on the paintedpottery bowl?Why did pigs live in the homes of primitive people?How did Chinarsquo;s twelve zodiac animals come to be?Why does the ancient bird_shaped artifact have three legs?Was the owl seen as a brave warrior or an evil creature in ancient times?How did an eagle_shaped pottery ding vessel transform from a "chicken food bowl"to a "mascot in winning the Olympic bid?Why does a tall pottery jar depict a battle between a bird and a fish?Why are there four sheep with curled horns on the corners of the massive bronzesquare zun vessel? What secrets are they trying to reveal?Why was the tail of the bird_shaped zun vessel an elephantrsquo;s trunk?Does a young horse also have a coming_of_age ceremony?When did the mythical dragon first appear, and why did it become a symbol of theemperor?Why do small creature statues stand along the eaves of the Forbidden Citypalaces?If you are curious about these questions, please open this book and letrsquo;s embark ona journey into this fascinating world together!

本书从动物图腾视角解读国家宝藏，用精美插画还原国宝文物的真实样貌，用问问题的方式引发读者的好奇心，用讲故事的形式让读者在趣味阅读中了解国宝文物及背后的中华文明史。

本书讲解了和神兽做朋友的种种疑问：神秘的人面鱼纹有什么寓意?一个陶鹰鼎是如何从;鸡食盆变身;申奥大使的?大方尊上为什么有四只羊?十二生肖始于何时?龙为什么成了皇帝的代言人?

山谷有鱼：儿童内容出版品牌，致力于优质原创儿童读物，传播中国传统文化，助力儿童提高综合素质，以阅读陪伴成长。团队主创包括资深出版人、文化学者、中央美院专业插画师。曾出版童书《了不起的故宫》《了不起的中国地理》《了不起的国家宝藏》；《了不起的故宫》2020年中国百佳童书；中国新闻出版广电总局2021年年度十大好书。有鱼童书主创人员多年实地走访全国各大博物馆拍摄，采集信息，全是一手高清文物图库。这也说明了主创团队对人文科普图书的创作是有着深厚的积淀做支撑的，始终坚持人文科普图书内容的权威性和严谨性。