Cross-Cultural Dialogue of Bat Patterns: A Study on the Difference

of Symbolic Meanings in Chinese and Western Art

Huizhen Jia

College of Art, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, Zhejiang, China

Keywords: Symbolism of Bats, Chinese and Western Art, Cross-Cultural Communication, Semiotics.

Abstract: As a common visual art symbol in Chinese and Western art works, the bat presents different symbols in

Chinese and Western art creations. The purpose of this paper，which is an exploration of the differences in

the symbolism of bat motifs in various art forms in Chinese and Western cultures. By constructing a

theoretical framework of semiotics, the fields of practical art and comprehensive art are mainly selected, and

then a multidimensional case study is developed. It then analyzes the cultural roots, social background, and

psychological needs of the differences between the Chinese and Western meanings of a visual symbol. Finally,

under the background of social change and globalization, the unique significance and value of bat visual

patterns in cross-cultural artistic communication are revealed.

1 INTRODUCTION

Semiotic theory can effectively demonstrate the

mechanism of bat's meaning construction in Chinese

and Western artistic creation. At the same time, it also

provides a key research perspective and research

method for studying the allegorical differences of bat

patterns. Saussure's structuralist semiotics points out

that sign is composed of signifier and signified. As a

signifier, the image of a bat shows the meaning of

happiness and blessing in China, while the

corresponding figure in the West is dark and

mysterious. Peirce's sign tripartite method divides the

sign into image sign, index sign and symbol sign. For

example, as a common image symbol in artistic

creation, the bat pattern has become an index symbol

for the concept of happiness and longevity, as well as

a symbol for people's yearning for a better life.

Roland Barthes' mythological theory helps to analyze

the evolution of the bat motif's symbolism in cultural

communication. In addition, from the perspective of

semiotics' context theory, the symbolism of the bat is

closely related to the cultural context in which it is

located, which is more often endowed with the

symbolism of good luck and blessing in the

traditional Chinese cultural context, while in the

Western cultural context, it is often associated with

the dark and scary atmosphere.

Symbols need to go through the common

cognitive agreement of society definite is not only a

simple form, but also a symbol carrying deep

meaning build (Dehui and Xiaoying, 2024). The bat

symbol occupies an extremely important position in

both Chinese and Western artistic creations. In China,

it is widely used in architecture, painting, textile,

porcelain, furniture and other forms of art, and has

become a cultural symbol that conveys people's good

wishes. In the West, the visual symbol of the bat

appears more in architecture, movies, clothing and

other arts, although it is mostly a negative image, but

it also has an great role in the expression of emotions

and spiritual shaping of Western art. Therefore, the

study of the differences in the symbolism of bat

motifs can help to understand the connotation and

artistic characteristics of Chinese and Western

cultures, and promote cross-cultural exchanges and

integration.

This paper adopts the methods of literature

research and case study analysis, and after

categorizing the arts with the principle of aesthetics,

it focuses on the practical arts and comprehensive arts

to conduct case study analysis, and reveal the

difference of the allegories they produce and the

cultural logic behind them.

This study aims to systematically analyze the

allegorical expression of bat motifs in Chinese and

Western art, interpreting them from multiple

dimensions, such as cultural roots, social background,

psychological needs and aesthetic concepts. The

academic contribution is to providea new cases and

perspectives for cross-cultural art research, enriching

Jia, H.

Cross-Cultural Dialogue of Bat Patterns: A Study on the Difference of Symbolic Meanings in Chinese and Western Art.

DOI: 10.5220/0013988300004912

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Innovative Education and Social Development (IESD 2025), pages 357-362

ISBN: 978-989-758-779-5

357

the application of semiotic theories in art practice, and

enhancing the understanding of the mechanism of

Chinese and Western cultural exchange and

interaction.

2 MULTI-DIMENSIONAL CASE

STUDY OF BAT PATTERNS

In the cross-cultural presentation of bat art symbols,

the text changed the two fields of practical art and

comprehensive art to analyse. On the one hand, bat

motifs in practical art, such as architectural

decorations and furniture carvings, are not only

closely related to human life practices, but also a

direct manifestation of visual symbols. These

symbols not only reflect the unique status of bats in

different cultural contexts, but also show the deep

meaning given to them by people through artistic

means. Most of these meanings are closely related to

people's historical beliefs, social customs, etc. People

convey the aesthetic and symbolic meanings of bats

from different cultures through visual elements,

which also makes bat patterns an important role of

cross-cultural communication. Additionally,

Comprehensive art, is a collection of various art

forms, which combine different cultural elements and

expression techniques to make the presentation of bat

patterns more diverse. For example, with the help of

the symbolic meaning and narrative function

expressed by visual symbols, the modeling of movie

characters and drama scenes show rich semantic

changes and narrative differences in different cultural

contexts. By contrast, practical art and

comprehensive art offer a more extensive reflection

of the aesthetic trends in artistic creation and the

construction of symbolic meaning associated with

visual symbols, such as the bat, across diverse

cultural contexts.

2.1 The Symbol of Bat Pattern in

Practical Art

2.1.1 The Art of Architecture: The Contrast

Between the Symbols of Gothic and the

Court Architecture of Ming Dynasty

China

Architecture is often called the unity of utility and art

(Wenjing, 2023). Besides books, the most important

and intuitive thing that can turn these imaginary

things into reality is architecture (Mu et al., 2020). If

Gothic architecture is an ideological system full of

symbols, then the symbol of bats is combined with

each other according to the rules of meaning

generation, and feedback to the audience with

different symbolic expressions. Notre Dame de Paris,

as an outstanding representative of Gothic

architecture, adopts a lot of bat sculpture elements in

its building. They may appear in some hidden

corners, contrasting with the solemn and manifestly

sacred buildings around them. This is actually the

value that the bat elements bring to the overall

architecture to complement each other, and they

suggest, in an understated but inescapable way, that

behind the world of light created by the religion, there

also exists some hidden and deep spiritual realms. In

fact, the use of bat sculpture has reached a certain

degree of agreement, with the concept of

transcendence and soul exploration contained in

Gothic. And further enriched the connotation of

Gothic architecture in the semiotic sense through the

visual symbol of bat. To this day, bats are an

important element of Gothic architecture.

Since Ming and Qing Dynasties, China began to

use a large number of bat symbols in architecture,

among which the palace architecture, especially the

Palace Museum complex, can be an outstanding

representative. Taking the Taiji Hall of the Forbidden

City as an example, there is an extremely large picture

of five blessings holding longevity on the wooden

screen wall that plays a decorative role. On the figure,

the four limbs of golden bats are exquisitely shaped,

complementing the ruyi decoration, together

signifying good fortune and well-being. In addition,

the bat motif is skillfully presented on the bronze

enameled mechanical fan on the Eight Immortals'

Table, the bottom of the glass mirror on the rosewood

side pedestal, and the ceiling decoration, etc. The bat

motif, together with other elements, conveys good

wishes such as “Lucky Celebration and Fortune”,

“Fortune and Longevity”, and “Fortune and Fortune

at the door”. It can be said that the exquisite

combination of bat picture and other auspicious

patterns, which fully demonstrated the people's desire

for a better life when they were carrying out

architectural design at that time. At the same time, it

also deeply reflects the social values and aesthetic

concepts of the people in the Ming and Qing

Dynasties, reflecting the ruler's hope for the country's

prosperity and the people's peace and happiness.

2.1.2 The Aesthetic and Functionality of

Bats in Other Practical Arts

In traditional Chinese functional art, artists have used

bat motifs in a wide variety of forms. For example,

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the carving of bat motifs on wooden furniture and

window paintings convey the cultural connotations of

good luck and festivity. In the West, some teenagers

will choose the bat pattern tattoo style. At the same

time, bats in some dark clothing will also be reflected,

they are often endowed with mysterious personality

of the cultural meaning, which is also closely related

to the overall Western cultural perception of bats.

2.2 Bat Motifs in Composite Art Forms

2.2.1 Bat Motifs in Film and Theater

Productions

In the genre of Western composite art, especially in

Western movies, there is often some deep-rooted

connection between the image of bats and vampires.

In the movie “The Year of Dracula”, decorative

details such as bat carvings on the walls of the castle

and bat patterns on the curtains cater to the eerie

atmosphere created by the director. When Count

Dracula transforms, a large number of bats surge out

of his body, instantly blotting out the sky. This

actually samples the swarming and nocturnal nature

of bats, rendering the horror atmosphere to the

extreme. Of course, in other movies, the vampire

characters portrayed by the director basically move at

high speeds, with sharp fangs and black wings. All of

the above are the vampire images that the writers and

directors have reinvented with reference to bats.

2.2.2 Narrative Differentiation of Bat Motifs

in Chinese and Western Film and

Television Works

In the narrative context of Western film and television

dramatic works, the bat motif is often closely

intertwined with dark mystery and supernatural

forces, and its narrative function is also mainly to

create a horror and fantasy atmosphere, or to portray

mysterious color characters. In The Year of Dracula,

it can be said that the bat motif is present throughout

the movie, and every time a bat appears, it signals

approaching danger or a mysterious event, becoming

an important driving force in building a tense plot.

In contrast, the narrative function and symbolism

of bat motifs in Chinese film, television, and other

dramatic works, show very different characteristics.

In the scenes of some ancient costume dramas or

martial arts dramas, bat motifs often appear on solid

buildings or decorative murals. Although it is to

increase the classical atmosphere, it also carries the

narrative function of expressing good luck and

fortune. In Demon Hunter, a Chinese film, the

screenwriter's image of the bat demon is set to be

mischievous and good-natured, a narrative that is

very different from the narrative mode of western

works in which bats are used purely as a symbol of

horror.

3 DIFFERENCES IN THE

SYMBOLIZATION OF BAT

PATTERNS IN CHINESE AND

WESTERN ART

3.1 Comparison of the Symbolism of

Bat Motifs

In terms of artistic expression, the bat images in

Chinese artworks focus on combining with beautiful

elements to reflect auspicious meanings. Whether

from paintings, architecture or furniture, it appears

together with elements representing wealth and

longevity. The overall color palette is also bright,

creating a warm and festive atmosphere. Bats in

Western art are mostly combined with dark and

gloomy scenes, whether it is the ruins in oil paintings

or the vampire scenes in stage plays, bats are all in

extremely dark colors and sharp outlines , to

strengthen the horror atmosphere that the creators

want to portray, and the tone is darker than the whole,

which gives people a feeling of nervousness and

uneasiness.

From the perspective of artistic function, in

Chinese art, the bat signal is a mark that conveys good

wishes and a visual symbol that fulfills people's

aspirations for a happy life. Its purpose is to bring

pleasure and a sense of longing to the audience. On

the other hand, the bat symbology in Western art, is

designed to evoke the audience's inner fear and

alertness to the unknown, mostly serving the thriller

theme of the works. The existence of this difference

clearly reflects the different value preferences of

Chinese and Western cultures in the allegorical

meaning and artistic use of the visual symbol of the bat.

3.2 Interpretation of the Symbolism of

the Bat Image

3.2.1 Diversity of Meaning

Behind the symbol lurks people's simple life

consciousness and implicit cultural pursuit (Jidiao,

2013). In Chinese artistic creation, bat design is

endowed with auspicious symbols with deep and

diversified cultural roots. The traditional Chinese

Cross-Cultural Dialogue of Bat Patterns: A Study on the Difference of Symbolic Meanings in Chinese and Western Art

359

cultural pattern represented by the bat pattern pursues

the unity of nature and man, which is unified with the

Confucian thought of "the mean", and fully embodies

the unique ideological connotation and cultural

interest of the Chinese nation (Yanting, 2016). One of

the most crucial factors is the language association

between “Fu” and “Bat”, which reflects the

importance that ancient Chinese people attached to

harmonic symbolism. In traditional culture, the

pursuit of happiness is the core value, and the image

of the bat is regarded as a symbol of happiness

because of its homophonic meaning, which is then

integrated into people's lives and artistic creations.

And in time and time again, bats would exist in

combination with various auspicious elements to

become an important visual symbol for conveying

good fortune. Later, with the introduction of religion,

the bat is also compatible with the concept of blessing

in Buddhist culture, which further enriches the

auspicious implication of the bat.

The meaning of signs is created by people and

does not exist separately from them and the life of

their social/cultural community (Harrison, 2003).

In Western culture, the cultural roots of the bat

motif's allegory of evil and terror are closely

intertwined with religious culture. The Vulgate of

Blaj and the Bible of Blaj do not forget about the bat,

considered an impure bird (Bărbulescu, 2015). In the

Bible, bats are explicitly described as unclean birds in

Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Isaiah. This definition

of the religious classics established the basis for the

negative image of bats in early religious culture.

Under the influence of medieval religious culture,

various texts further reinforced the negative allegory

of the bat. In the Gubbio Moral Zoology, for example,

the bat, because of its nocturnal flight and its habit of

avoiding the light, is analogized to the sinner's fear of

the light of faith, and thus becomes a negative symbol

associated with the sinner. In the Flower of Virtue,

the bat is compared to a symbol of lust, and this

symbolism is retained in different Romanian

versions. Peter Belchiori's Moral Guide described the

bat in a negative light, discussing in detail its

characteristics and suggesting that it belonged more

to the category of beasts than to that of birds, which

led to the bat's being regarded as a monster at the

time, and being closely associated with the devil and

sin. Religious teachings are deeply rooted in Western

society, and these negative interpretations of the bat

have been imprinted on the consciousness of

Westerners through religious inheritance. This makes

the bat as a visual symbol used in art. It is always

difficult to get rid of the dark connotation, even in

modern society, its traditional negative connotation

still affects people's artistic expression of the bat in

many aspects.

3.2.2 Social Context and Psychological

Needs

As for the different expressions of meaning brought

by the bat logo. First of all, in the ancient Chinese

society, the agriculture-led production mode brought

about a relatively stable social life, where people

worked from day to day and rested from day to day,

and their desire for a harmonious and happy life was

just a high degree of harmony with the blessing

symbolized by the bat. Secondly, as the family is the

basic unit of the ancient Chinese society, the bat's

symbol of good fortune is also extremely important

for the prosperity of the family. Once again, the

traditional Chinese culture emphasizes the concept of

the unity of man and nature, advocating harmony

between man and nature, and bats, as creatures of

nature, superimposed on their own special system of

good fortune, it is even more important sign of

people's social life to convey good luck.

Analyzing from the perspective of psychological

needs, when facing difficulties and uncertainties in

life, people long for visual symbols with auspicious

meanings to obtain spiritual comfort, and at the same

time, they put their good expectations for the future

on the symbols. The bat pattern emphasizes the

Chinese people's strong psychological demand for a

happy life.

The crystallization of demonic judgment in the

Middle Ages on the one hand, and the influence of

Gothic literature on the other. This is the meaning of

bat in Tolkien's literary corpus (Comelli, 2023). In

terms of the social background of the West, Western

society has long been deeply influenced by Christian

culture. Christianity promotes light and justice, while

darkness is often regarded as the embodiment of evil.

Under the dominance of such a religious culture,

people bind the nocturnal habits of bats to darkness

and evil. In the Middle Ages, religion began to

permeate all aspects of people's lives, and coupled

with the wars and upheavals experienced in the

course of society's development, people were in a

state of perpetual instability, and became more fearful

and repulsed by the forces of darkness and evil.

Analyzing from the level of psychological

demand, westerners always pursue justice and light

and resist evil in the value conveyed in art creation.

The negative image of bats perfectly fits their need to

portray the power of evil in their art creations. In art

works, especially in comprehensive art, the

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appearance of the bat image can quickly trigger the

audience's resonance of horror and evil, which to a

certain extent satisfies people's psychological

expectations of seeking excitement, catharsis of fear,

and exploring the darkness of the unknown in the

process of art consumption. As people started to

understand the beauty of the dark colours and

separated it from the evil or satanic mindset and even

started accepting the satanic beauty and developed an

alluring affection towards it, mainstream started

delivering it (Mishra and Panda, 2023).

In fact, the visual symbol of the bat has become

an important visual communication symbol in

Western art, which reflects people's inner fear of

darkness and their yearning for light.

3.2.3 Differential Expression of Meaning in

Artistic Aesthetics

In the context of Chinese aesthetics, artists pursue the

integration of aesthetic and philosophical concepts,

focusing on the conveyance of inner spirit beyond the

form of artistic creation itself. Under the influence of

this aesthetic concept, although the bat motif is a

concrete image, it carries a deep spiritual connotation

in its artistic expression. In other words, the audience

will not only focus on the external form of the bat, but

also feel a kind of good wish that transcends the

image through this visual symbol. In China, the

definition and purpose of art in modern and

contemporary art place more emphasis on inner

experience and emotional expression. (Jiang, 2024).

The bat motifs used in artistic creations have become

a symbol of the spiritual realm, rather than a simple

visual representation.

West emphasizes realism, representation and

imitation (Hu et al., 2019). Western aesthetics is

largely based on a rational perception and

reproduction of the objective world. Compared with

Chinese artists, Western artists will observe the world

with a more scientific vision and create art with more

realistic brushstrokes. For example, in sculpture, the

shape of bats will pay more attention to the sense of

reality, three-dimensionality and texture. In

comprehensive art, the use of bat elements is also

extremely realistic. All these satisfy the western

aesthetics for the pursuit of real and strong sensory

experience, so that the bat has become an art element

that triggers the audience's specific emotions and

thoughts.

3.3 Symbolic Fusion

Moving to the modern world, the bat motif has shown

unprecedented innovation in all forms of art. In the

field of architecture, its contour lines are used to

embody a sense of freedom, and some science and

technology centers and art museums use bat wings for

their exterior design, thus conveying this modern

architectural concept of freedom and individuality. In

paintings, the integration of bats and cosmic elements

highlights man's spiritual pursuit of exploring the

unknown. In the fashion world, bat motifs have

become a representative of individuality and style,

not only in tattoo design, but also in clothing and

accessory design. In addition, in the field of pop

culture, the image of Batman has been fused with a

variety of modern values, and has been given new

concepts such as justice and guardianship, gradually

changing the public's inherent perceptions. In games,

bats can also be used to create mysterious scenes and

powerful monsters, bringing audiences a new

experience. These innovative forms break through the

traditional cultural ideas and the public's inherent

perceptions, injecting new vitality into the reference

to the symbol of the bat.

Bat visual symbols are important for

contemporary art innovation and cross-cultural

communication. In terms of promoting cultural

understanding and tolerance, the integration of bat

motifs from different cultural backgrounds can

provide a rich source of material for cultural

exchange. On the one hand, the West can understand

the yearning for a better life conveyed by Chinese

artworks through the bat motifs in Chinese art, and on

the other hand, China can also feel the imagination of

people from the relevant works of the West. In

stimulating cultural innovation and cooperation, its

symbolic fusion also brings inspiration to creators and

promotes cross-cultural creative practices. At the

same time, it can also be used to teach intercultural

knowledge in cultural education, further promote the

dissemination and innovation of the bat as a visual

symbol in intercultural communication, and expand

its value and influence in contemporary society.

4 CONCLUSION

The results of this study show that there are great

allegorical differences in the application of the visual

symbol of the bat in Chinese and Western art. Starting

from the basis of semiotics theory, the author

carefully analyzes the rich cases in the fields of

practical art and comprehensive art, and draws out the

significant differences in cultural roots, social

background, psychological needs and artistic

aesthetics, etc. It also discusses the trend of the

Cross-Cultural Dialogue of Bat Patterns: A Study on the Difference of Symbolic Meanings in Chinese and Western Art

361

integration of symbols of bat design in the context of

social change and globalization. It is further

concluded that the differences in the meanings of the

visual symbols of bats not only highlight the cultural

diversity, but also foretell the possibility of cultural

integration and innovation in the process of

globalization. The differences in the meanings of bat

motifs in China and the West vividly reflect the

uniqueness of Chinese and Western cultures, and at

the same time carry the historical memories, values

and aesthetic interests of different peoples. This study

provides a lot of valuable references for future

research, which mainly influences the research in

many fields such as cultural semiotics, art history, and

cross-cultural communication. When discussing

cultural symbols, we need to understand more deeply

the cultural logic and social background behind them,

and also pay attention to the influence and change of

globalization on cultural symbols. Future studies

should focus more on the dynamic change process of

cultural symbols. In the era of globalization, different

cultures collide and blend with each other, and jointly

breed new cultural forms and artistic expressions.

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