ZHAO MENGFU AND GUAN DAOSHENGThe Mongols
were great admirers of Chinese art and culture, but they were very se-
lective in admitting former Southern Song subjects into their admin-
istration. In addition, many Chinese loyal to the former emperors re-
fused to collaborate with their new foreign overlords, whom they
considered barbarian usurpers. One who did accept an official post
under Kublai Khan was Zhao Mengfu (1254–1322), a descendant of
the first Song emperor. A learned man, skilled in both calligraphy and
poetry, he won renown as a painter of horses and of landscapes.Zhao’s wife,Guan Daosheng(1262–1319), was also a success-
ful painter, calligrapher, and poet. Although she painted a variety of
subjects, including Buddhist murals in Yuan temples, Guan became
famous for her paintings of bamboo. The plant was a popular sub-
ject because it was a symbol of the ideal Chinese gentleman, who
bends in adversity but does not break, and because depicting bam-
boo branches and leaves approximated the cherished art of calligra-
phy (see “Calligraphy and Inscriptions on Chinese Paintings,” page
726).Bamboo Groves in Mist and Rain (FIG. 27-2), a handscroll(seeMAP27-1China during the Ming dynasty.BeijingXi’an
(Chang’an) Luoyang Kaifeng (Bianliang)SuzhouNanjing Wuxi
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China
Modern China720 Chapter 27 CHINA AND KOREA AFTER 127927-2AZHAO
MENGFU, Sheep
and Goat,
ca. 1300.
Image not available due to copyright restrictions