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Chao K'uang-yin, as a general of the Latter Chou, assumed power and defeated rivals at the end of the Five Dynasties period (907-960), establishing the Sung dynasty and later becoming known as Emperor T'ai-tsu ("Great Founder"). Through a policy of maintaining a "strong trunk with weak branches," he centralized military authority by placing officials in charge of troops. Although weakening influence abroad, it fostered stability and an enlightened atmosphere at home. Despite intermittent conflict with northern neighbors--the Liao and Chin dynasties--the Chao clan preserved the Sung for 319 years. Conflict at one point almost led to the fall of the dynasty in 1126, marking the junction between the Northern and Southern Sung as well as the loss of the north. Nevertheless, the Sung is universally regarded as one of the most glorious periods of Chinese art and culture. In philosophy, numerous scholars, such as Chou Tun-i, Chang Tsai, Ch'eng I, Ch'eng Hao, Chu Hsi, and Lu Chiu-yuan revitalized the heritage of Confucian thought to form the Neo-Confucianist School of Principle (li-hsueh), which ultimately became state ideology. The Sung was also a period of great historians, such as Ssu-ma Kuang and Li T'ao, who wrote comprehensive chronologies of Chinese history. Achievements were made by Yuan Shu, while Cheng Chiao and Ma Tuan-yu created major encyclopedic compilations. In literature, the Sung is noted for such figures as Ou-yang Hsiu, Wang An-shih, Tseng Kung, and the Three Su's (including Su Shih), who invigorated the field of prose and stood alongside Han Yu and Liu Tsung-yuan of the T'ang (618-907). Sung society witnessed the rise of scholar-officials, who, unlike in previous periods, often came from humble backgrounds. Commerce reached new heights as the merchant class grew and prosperity spread. All levels of society--from the court and scholars down to common folk--reflected an interest in the world of objects and ideas, as often seen in the works of great tz'u poets, including Liu Yung, Chou Pang-yen, Li Ch'ing-chao, Hsin Ch'i-chi, and Chiang K'uei. The spread of woodblock printing throughout the land meant that information became increasingly accessible to many. Official and private printings were widespread, leading to the promotion of scholarship and general education. Woodblock impressions were also of high quality, making them works of art that have been treasured by collectors ever since. The invention of movable print in the Sung also lowered publishing costs and vastly increased the speed of production. In terms of arts and crafts, the level of refinement and quality reached new heights. Crafts of various regions--such as the lacquerware of Wen-chou, tapestry of Ting-chou, bronze mirrors of Hu-chou, and ink and inkstones of Hsi-chou--became renowned among later connoisseurs. In ceramics, the beauty and perfection of Hsing ware white porcelain and Yueh ware Mi-se porcelain during the Five Dynasties foreshadowed developments in the Sung, marked by the products of the Ting, Ju, Kuan, Chun, Yao-chou, Tz'u-chou, Chien-chou, Lung-ch'uan, and Ching-te-chen kilns. Sung ceramics are prized for their variety and quality, ranging from robust popular styles to ultra-refined ones, including the expert handling of glazes to create subtle colors of cream and blue, thick and glossy surfaces, the controlled crackling like ice, and even patterns and motifs such as hare fur and actual leaves. Indeed, ceramics reflect the Sung fusion of technical and aesthetic achievements. Influenced by the Neo-Confucianist interest in the principles of the universe, revivalism and ritual served as the basis for scholars in understanding the world around them. Scholars began collecting bronzes and stele inscriptions, searching for the roots of their language and history. Reevaluating the ideas and implements of rituals, they looked to the past to revise the present, becoming pioneers in the fields of antiquities and archaeology. The Sung is also known as a golden age of painting and calligraphy, which flourished soon after the founding of the dynasty. Emperor T'ai-tsu followed and expanded the precedent in the Five Dynasties of maintaining a court academy of painting. Other emperors, such as T'ai-tsung and Jen-tsung, were also passionate about art, striving to assemble works of calligraphy and turn the imperial collection into a great repository. However, the ruler who exemplifies the emperor as patron and artist is Hui-tsung. He not only dictated court painting styles and excelled at calligraphy, but he also held examinations to select and cultivate the finest artists in the land. Not surprisingly, painting rose to new heights in such an atmosphere. Landscape was dominated by masters such as Fan K'uan, Kuo Hsi, Li T'ang, Ma Yuan, and Hsia Kuei. Figure painting was invigorated by Li Kung-lin, Su Han-ch'en, and Mou I, while Huang Chu-ts'ai, I Yuan-chi, Ts'ui Po, and Lin Ch'un glorified the genre of birds and flowers. The Northern Sung also witnessed the rise of scholar art, including paintings of bamboo in monochrome ink by Wen T'ung. Although the core of the National Palace Museum collection derives directly from the Ch'ing (1644-1911) court, the seeds were actually planted a thousand years ago in the Sung. When T'ai-tsu absorbed the artists and collections of defeated rivals and T'ai-tsung scoured the land for ancient works of calligraphy (amassing a collection of thousands), they paved the way for the institution of collecting and preserving cultural objects of the past. By the reign of Hui-tsung, the imperial repository of antiquities, painting, and calligraphy expanded even further, culminating in a great collection of art recorded in catalogues that still survive today. However, with the fall of the capital after Hui-tsung, the treasures were scattered and looted by the Chin invaders. After Kao-tsung reestablished the Sung in the south, he almost immediately began to reacquire the remnants of the collection. With the end of the dynasty, these works of the Northern and Southern Sung became part of the Yuan dynasty collection under the Mongols. After the Yuan collapsed in 1368, the treasures from the Sung and Yuan courts formed the basis of the Ming (1368-1644) collection, which was eventually acquired in turn by the conquering Manchus of the Ch'ing. Then, in 1925, the Palace Museum was established, assuming public responsibility for a collection originating with the Northern Sung court. Although the works have changed hands, suffered losses, and undergone additions over the centuries, some can still be traced back to the reign of Hui-tsung. The Museum collection of Sung works is one of the greatest in the world. At the juncture of the millennium, this year marks an appropriate time to look in retrospect at the achievements of the Sung dynasty, which straddled the previous millennium. Arranged into five categories, this exhibit of some of the finest Sung works from the Museum collection celebrates the new millennium while offering a glimpse at the glory of art and culture from this period. |