Three cultures on canvas

Guardian Deities of Buddhism, a Korean painting produced in 1855. [Photo by JIANG DONG/CHINA DAILY]

The Oriental Art of Painting show at the National Museum of China showcases works from the Beijing museum, the National Museum of Korea and the Tokyo National Museum. Lin Qi reports.

For many Beijing commuters, "Jintai" means a busy subway station in the capital's eastern part at which they get off or transfer on their way to work. It is also the name of a crowded road flanked by high-rise commercial and residential buildings.

But six centuries ago, the area was different. It was filled with trees. The singing of birds echoed through mountains. And hilly terraces bathed in sunlight.

This landscape was called "Jintai Xizhao" which literally means a terrace bathed in the glow of the setting sun. And it was recorded by Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) painter Wang Fu as part of his 20-meter-long ink painting titled A Scroll of Beijing's Eight Magnificent Scenes.

Wang served in the Ming imperial court and painted natural motifs, such as bamboo and stones. He is recognized as a key figure in literati shanshui (mountain-and-water) painting.

Seen as the high point of Wang's artistic output, the landscape scroll was cataloged in Shiqu Baoji, a prestigious inventory of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)'s imperial collection. It is now in the National Museum of China in Beijing.

Visitors can view the scroll at an ongoing exhibition that celebrates the artistic diversity of China, the Korean kingdom and Japan from the 15th to the 19th centuries.

The Oriental Art of Painting at the National Museum of China showcases 52 literati paintings, genre paintings and Buddhism-themed paintings among others from the Beijing museum, the National Museum of Korea in Seoul and the Tokyo National Museum in Japan.