A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains -The story of a young painter and his legendary scroll
China Plus
11 episodes
14 hours ago
A painting you won't see anywhere else, the One Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains is a masterpiece by a genius young painter Wang Ximeng, who was born some 900 years ago. While his epic work continues to amaze viewers with its striking beauty, the passionate young man and his creative journey is still a mystery today.
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A painting you won't see anywhere else, the One Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains is a masterpiece by a genius young painter Wang Ximeng, who was born some 900 years ago. While his epic work continues to amaze viewers with its striking beauty, the passionate young man and his creative journey is still a mystery today.
"A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains" is a masterpiece of Wang Ximeng, an ancient painter of China's Northern Song Dynasty. While his epic work continues to amaze viewers with its striking beauty, the passionate young man and his creative journey are still a mystery today. This radio drama brings you the young painter's arduous and unforgettable journey in creating this painting!
In 1107, 12-year-old Wang Ximeng and 15-year-old Li Guisheng set out from their hometown in central Fujian. They travelled through Ganjiang River, Hongzhou, now arriving at the magnificent Pengli Lake. The water's surface is dotted with white sails. Mount Lushan stands shrouded in mist by the shore.
By now, 18-year-old Wang Ximeng had spent half a year in the cold storeroom of the Imperial Archives working on his scroll painting. The Northern Song Dynasty was in a poor and gloomy state, but all the young painter could see were vibrant colors of the mountains and rivers of its landscape.
Wang Ximeng began his lessons with the Emperor. His horizons and techniques improved rapidly. To Emperor Huizong of Song, Wang Ximeng reminded him of the time of his youth. It seemed he had finally found the right person to fulfill his dream of painting the beautiful landscape that was under his reign.
After three years of hard training, 15-year-old Wang Ximeng graduated from the Academy but failed to stay on as a royal painter. Instead, he was recruited to work in the Imperial Archives as a clerk and copied tax records for the next two years.
Clerk at the Hanlin Imperial Painting Academy Zhang Moyu received a recommendation letter and came to Central Fujian to scout for painting prodigies. He was elated to discover Wang Ximeng and Li Guisheng with their extraordinary talents.
Wang Ximeng and his friend Li Guisheng arrived in the south, known for beautiful sceneries. At the Rainbow Bridge in Suzhou they reunited with the boatman family that had ferried them across Pengli Lake five years ago. Wang Ximeng was only a boy then and now he is a painter by imperial order.
A rare form of splendor and immensity, the blue and green landscape painting by the genius painter impressed the whole court, not least the Emperor Huizong of Song, father of the Imperial Painting Academy and creator of the dynasty’s esthetics system in general.
At 12 years old, Wang Ximeng passed the exam to become the youngest student at the Imperial Painting Academy. He studied under the guidance of great artists of the time in the next three years.
Wang Ximeng came back from his trip and threw himself into the creative process at once. He even moved his bed into the storeroom for efficiency. His passion burned fiercely in the cold archives as he put the beautiful scenery on the silk scroll.
A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains -The story of a young painter and his legendary scroll
A painting you won't see anywhere else, the One Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains is a masterpiece by a genius young painter Wang Ximeng, who was born some 900 years ago. While his epic work continues to amaze viewers with its striking beauty, the passionate young man and his creative journey is still a mystery today.
