@@Chao Yung was a native of Wu-hsing in Chekiang Province. He was the son of Chao Meng-fu, the Yuan dynasty revivalist painter, and was skilled in portraying figures and horses. Both father and son were renowned for their calligraphy and painting, playing important roles in the art world of the Yuan dynasty.

@@This painting depicts an open expanse used for grazing and shows five stout horses wandering at will between a few trees scattered by the water. The herder, leaning against a pine tree, has actually fallen asleep and looks quite at ease. The calm lake to the back merges into the beautiful mountains, further emphasizing the atmosphere of tranquility.

@@This painting was created by Chao Yung for the official Po-yen-hu-tu. The style of the painting follows primarily the archaic "blue and green landscape" manner of the T'ang dynasty. The vivid colors used are mainly blue and green for the rocks. In addition, for the leaves the artist first painted the outlines, which were then filled with color, as in the technique of "double-outline leaves that were filled with colors". We see that the tall and well-built horses are also in the T'ang fashion. However, this painting by Chao Yung also incorporates the Tung-Chu school of the Five Dynasties. For example, the plants' fiber-like lines, conveying the texture of the distant mountains are known as the "hemp-fiber texture strokes". For the most part, the figures, horses and background landscape of this painting hark poetically back to T'ang archaicism, but the scenery with a body of water and two banks is still characteristic of the Yuan dynasty. Even with the Yuan fashion for the revivalist style, Chao Yung pioneered a new style.