One Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains—Blue-green Landscape Paintings throughout Chinese History

A splendid exhibition of blue-green landscape paintings just opened today at the Palace Museum in Beijing. The centerpiece of this exhibition is one of the most famous paintings in Chinese history—One Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains, which is the only surviving masterpiece by the young genius painter Wang Ximeng (王希孟) of the late Northern Song dynasty (960–1127).

A student of the Song Emperor Huizong, Wang Ximeng was about 18 years old when he painted this artwork, and he passed away probably around the age of 20.

This exhibition also includes many other great blue-green landscape paintings, including Spring Excursion by Zhan Ziqian, which is considered the earliest surviving landscape painting in Chinese history.

The exhibition is through December 14, 2017. The Palace Museum is closed on Mondays.

The Palace Museum is located at the heart of Beijing, directly behind the Tiananmen. The exhibition is inside the Wumen Exhibition Hall (午門展廳), above the main entrance of the Museum.

Photo Credit: China Online Museum