Li Mei-shu painted the Taiwan countryside with realism and poignancy, and the scene shown here was probably very familiar for him. In fact, we can almost imagine him during the 1950s viewing this scene often as he passed T'u-ch'eng going to and from the Taipei County Assembly in Pan-ch'iao as well as the Sanhsia Tsu-shih Temple. Impressed by this beautiful scene of what was then rustic T'u-ch'eng, he recorded it in the form of an evocative landscape. Li Mei-shu used a composition in which the trees in the foreground give way to a river that winds back to the distant mountain for an atmospheric effect taking the viewer into the distance. The violet, distant hills and the expansive skies reveal Li Mei-shu's success at capturing the simple beauty of this site. This work represents a scene from nature away from the bustle of society and without the use of opulent colors. The idyllic peace is reflected in Li Mei-shu's warm colors and subtle touches of the brush.
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