Palace Museum celebrates Tang and Song masterpieces

The Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties are arguably two of the cultural peaks in ancient Chinese history, and calligraphy and paintings are among their most celebrated artistic achievements. When displayed, these works bring to life chapters of a cultural tradition characterized by elegance, refinement, and free-spirited expression, qualities that continue to inspire modern viewers.

A major exhibition Defining the Classics: A Journey to Tang and Song Calligraphy and Paintings will open to the public at the Palace Museum in Beijing on Sept 1 and run through Nov 1. It will feature 107 artworks showcasing how master artists established models and paradigms with lasting influence, while providing a rich source of inspiration for later generations.

The exhibition will be staged in two phases. All exhibits in phase one, ending on Sept 27, will be replaced after a two-day hiatus before the second phase begins.

One of the highlights of the first phase is a scroll painting on silk, Luoshen Fu (Ode to the Goddess of Luoshen), a Song Dynasty facsimile of a celebrated work attributed to Gu Kaizhi, a master painter of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420). Inspired by a literary classic of the same name, the painting vividly depicts the encounter between Cao Zhi, a talented poet and frustrated prince, and a goddess by a river, capturing their emotional entanglement.

Bunian Tu (Emperor Taizong Receiving the Tubo Envoy), another milestone painting by Tang Dynasty artist Yan Liben will also appear at the exhibition. The work not only established a paradigm for Chinese figure painting, but also serves as a key historical source. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty received an envoy from Tubo in 641. Due to the encounter, Tubo leader Songtsen Gampo later married Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty, helping to create peace between the two neighboring powers.

Other key exhibits include Tang calligrapher Chu Suiliang's facsimile of Wang Xizhi's Lanting Xu (Preface to the Orchid Pavilion). The original piece by Wang in the 4th century may be the best-known piece in the history of Chinese calligraphy, although its whereabouts are unknown.

A series of precious Tang Dynasty silk paintings depicting the Chinese gods Fuxi and Nyuwa were unearthed from an archaeological site in Turpan, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, between 1959 and 1960. Two of them are now in the collection of the Palace Museum, and the better preserved of the pair will make a rare public appearance at the exhibition.