Qiyun Pavilion over Dragon River

This dramatic vista was painted by Lu Zhi, an artist from the city of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, during a trip with a friend to the Small Dragon River in southern China in 1553. The beautiful scenery and the resonant friendship engendered by their trip together inspired Lu to record this treasured moment on a fan painting. Following traditional rules of perspective for Chinese landscapes, he divided the scene into two sections. He also employed a technique that combined solid strokes for the foreground details with blurred application of light ink for deep perspective.

The artist recorded this event in running script calligraphy at the top right:

Pavilions perch above clouds that float over the thin Dragon River,
Stone cliffs fade into sky as lakes hide behind hills.
Spending a wonderful three days with Master Qian,
We are surrounded by graceful white clouds.

Painted this fan on the spur of the moment, with Master Qian staying in Qiyun House on a trip, Baoshan Lu Zhi on the third day of the fourth month in the year guichou [1553].