Picture of the Ten-Thousand-Li Yangtze

Landscape painting in China reached its maturity during the Song Dynasty(906-1279) when both works of art and aesthetic theory reached unprecedented new levels of achievement.Landscapes from the Song are divided into two periods, the Northern Song (906-1127) and the Southern Song (1127-1279). During the first, the emphasis was on depicting panoramic views of grandiose mountains and large rivers, while during the latter, brilliant "close-ups" of mountain scenery were frequently painted. Southern Song painters were skilled in capturing the general characteristics and spirit of their natural subjects. Their lyrical works provided a medium through which painters could express their feelings and thus added a new dimension to Chinese landscape painting. The renowned Xia Gui is a representative example of this era of painting.

Xia Gui, also named Xia Yuyu, was from Qiantang (now Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province). Little biographical information about him survives and all that is known is that he lived in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and that he was at the Imperial Painting Academy. He began by concentrating on figure painting, but later became well-known for his landscapes. Xia initially studied the brushwork of Li Tang, but his own work was stylistically and technically similar to that of his contemporary Ma Yuan. Together they were called the "Ma-Xia" school.

Xia Gui's "Picture of the Ten-Thousand-Li Yangtze" is a treasure among ancient Chinese paintings depicting the magnificent Yangtze River. In the long scroll measuring 39 cm by 850 cm, the painter condensed the scenery along the ten-thousand-li Yangtze River. With powerful strokes of the brush and beautiful shades of ink, the painting has successfully reproduced the unordinary momentum of the great river. The section describing the Three Gorges give a vivid description of the torrential waters and terrifying waves.

Some describe wooden junks rushing down a rapid and the boatmen fighting the boisterous waves. One shows a picture of boat trackers pulling a junk up the river and their hardship and many describe beautiful scenes in the gorges.

Xia Gui demonstrates great skill in rendering natural scenery. In this painting, the landscape is confined to the lower left corner, but the painter has cleverly added a massive rock in the lower right, which not only echoes the mountains in the distance, but also provides a certain balance to the composition. The mountain dwelling occupies the foreground, while large areas are left empty. The angle of vision is low, emphasizing the luxuriant foliage and indicating that the place is remote from the cares of human life.

Most of Xia Gui's landscapes were painted in ink wash. In this picture he has used the cun or "axe" stroke, first splashing water on to the silk and then applying ink which has been mixed with water. The tree and the house are drawn in multiple lines using a sparse brush. A dense, moist texture expressed in vigorous and lucid lines is typical of Xia Gui's style.