Introduction
The “Elegant Gathering in the Western Garden,” the most famous legend in Chinese cultural history, is said to have been a grand get together held in the Northern Song capital of Bianjing (modern Kaifeng) attended by such literary and artistic luminaries as Su Shi (1037-1101), Huang Tingjian (1045-1105), Li Gonglin (1049-1106), Mi Fu (1052-1108), and Wang Shen (ca. 1048-1104). Though modern scholars have concluded that the gathering likely never took place, for many centuries, this romanticized event involving famous literati was passed down and became the prototype for scholarly gatherings through the ages.
This special exhibition revolving around the gathering begins with calligraphy and a series of images in the first section entitled “Elegant Gathering in the Western Gathering.” The original depiction of the meeting was reportedly done by Li Gonglin, the activities depicted therein including Su Shi practicing calligraphy, Li
Gonglin himself doing a painting of “Returning Home,” Chen Jingyuan (1035-1094) playing the qin, Mi Fu inscribing a large stone, and the Buddhist Master Yuantong (1016-1082) discussing the theory of non-birth. This section of the exhibit also features some calligraphy by these cultural elites and such influential contemporary officials at the time as Sima Guang (1019-1086) and Ouyang Xiu (1007-1072). Together with related works of painting and calligraphy as well as an ink rubbing of “The Yuanyou Faction Stele,” they round out the cultural and period background in which these elites lived.
The second section of the exhibit is titled “Free and Easy to the Heart’s Content,” which highlights the achievements in painting and calligraphy of those said to have attended the gathering. In terms of
calligraphy, there are such famous examples as Su Shi’s “Former Ode on the Red Cliff,” Huang Tingjian’s “Poem on the Hall of Pines and Wind,” and Mi Fu’s “On Sichuan Silk,” representing the late Northern Song trend towards diverse and personal styles of writing from the heart. As for painting, the display in this section features the loan work “Five Horses,” a rare original by Li Gonglin, along with faithful copies of his “Mountain Villa” and “The Nine Songs” as well as Mi Fu’s “Cloudy Mountains” to help audiences catch a glimpse of the different views and practices in literati painting at the time. And finally, the last section of this special exhibition, titled “The Paragon for Generations to Come,” includes specially selected copies by later artists of works by Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, Mi Fu, and Li Gonglin to illustrate their lasting influence in the history of Chinese painting and calligraphy.
Regardless of whether this elegant gathering of almost a thousand years ago occurred or not, today another precious gathering of treasured painting and calligraphy by and related to these literati is taking place in the Taipei suburb of Waishuangxi at the National Palace Museum, thus helping to make this legendary dream come true on the beautiful island of Taiwan. As we celebrate the centennial of the Museum’s founding, we hope and endeavor that the National Palace Museum can become another garden of culture to nurture and cultivate future generations in the arts.