Xu Xiwen
Associate Professor, Southeast University, China
Visiting scholar, University of Chicago
Friday, April 15, 4- 6 pm
CWAC 156
Beyond Borders: On the hanging scroll Lady Wen-Chi Returning to China attributed to Chen Juzhong at the National Palace Museum of Taipei
Abstract:
Lady Wen-chi story has been a popular subject in painting and poetry, reflecting the relationship between China and its neighboring tribes. The text of Lady Wen-Chi’s story has two versions: one was allegedly written by Lady Wen-Chi herself, also known as Eighteen Songs of Nomad Flute, and the other wss written by the poet Liu Shang. The hanging scroll Lady of Wen-chi Returning to China at the National Palace Museum in Taipei is based on Liu Shang’s poem. Many scholars have had different opinions regarding its dating and interpretation. Some argue that like the album of Eighteen Songs of Nomad Flute at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, this hanging scroll expressed the same political propaganda of the early Sothern Song dynasty, while the others claim that its dating should be around the end of Northern Song, reflecting the imagination of foreign tribes in the society. This paper reexamines the painting based on archeological findings and stylistic analysis and argues that this hanging scroll should be dated at the end of Southern Song dynasty (1208-1216), when the society was affected by thoughts of Confucianism, and fascinated with the exotic customs of northern countries; meanwhile the imperial authority tried to re-build a peaceful and equal diplomatic relationship with the northern countries.
* This talk will be given in Chinese.
