Wen Cheng-ming, a native of Soochow, was famous for his achievements in poetry, painting, and calligraphy. A leader in Soochow art circles, he was one of the Four Great Masters of the Ming.

         In this work, Wen focused on a central point to create a clever illustration of Po Chu-i's (772-846) masterpiece of seven-character ancient verse entitled "Song of the P'i-p'a". A host and guest are shown here sitting in a boat by a river bank. They listen to a lady play the p'i-p'a in a surrounding of marshy reeds. Separated by an open space, the sound echoes to a distant peak on the other shore with the moon nearby. The red leaves and withered branches suggest the season of autumn and complement the archaic and lush blue-and-green tints of the landscape.