Galloping through Chinese history

That close relationship appears throughout the exhibition in paintings depicting seasonal journeys.

One featured work by Ming Dynasty painter Qiu Ying portrays official Tang Yi's imagined return to his hometown in today's Shanxi province after years serving in Suzhou, Jiangsu province.

Unable to return home for a long period, Tang became increasingly homesick. Sympathetic local scholars invited Qiu to paint the homecoming he longed for.

In the painting, Tang rides beside the Fenhe River in a bright red official robe. Ma describes Qiu's technique as both meticulous and fluid, with a refined composition and vivid yet restrained colors that create a peaceful atmosphere.

What makes the work particularly intriguing is that Qiu had never visited Tang's hometown. "Some of the scenery was imagined," Ma explains. "That makes this painting a fascinating blend of reality and imagination."

Beyond personal life, horses also played a decisive role in state power and military preparedness. Maintaining cavalry forces required enormous resources, making horse breeding a major national undertaking in many dynasties.

The exhibition's centerpiece is an authentic scroll painted by Song Dynasty painter Li Gonglin, created as an interpretation of an earlier work by Tang Dynasty painter Wei Yan under the auspices of Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty.

"Wei was a famous horse painter in the Tang era. His authentic work was kept in the Northern Song (960-1127) court. Therefore, the emperor ordered Li, regarded as one of the greatest painters of the Song era, to re-create it," says Ma.

But such imitation was not a mere copy. While Li retained the original subject of official horse pastures containing 1,247 horses, he transformed the artistic style entirely through his own aesthetic vision.

"Unlike the powerful and imposing horses common in Tang painting, Li's horses appear restrained, elegant and introspective, qualities that reflected the Song Dynasty's artistic taste," says Ma.

"The enormous scroll balances hundreds of human and animal figures without descending into visual chaos. The composition remains orderly and harmonious despite its scale," he adds.

"The painter seemed completely immersed in the world of horses," Ma says. "Each horse and each person carries a distinct expression and personality. From the painting, it's easy to see why Li deserved the title of one of the greatest artists in Song painting, as he showed the pinnacle of horse painting in ancient China."