The Ten Famous Chinese Paintings of National Treasure Level

The ten most famous traditional Chinese paintings comprise ten works created from the Eastern Jin to the Ming and Qing dynasties: The Nymph of the Luo River, Along the River During the Qingming Festival, Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, Spring Morning in the Han Palace, One Hundred Horses, Emperor Taizong Receiving the Tibetan Envoy, Ladies of the Tang Dynasty, Five Oxen, The Night Banquet of Han Xizai, and A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains.

These paintings cover themes such as figures, landscapes, and customs, and are currently housed in institutions such as the Palace Museum in Beijing, the National Palace Museum in Taipei, and the Zhejiang Provincial Museum, with most being considered national treasures.

Ⅰ、The Nymph of the Luo River (Eastern Jin Dynasty, circa 4th century)

Author: Gu Kaizhi (Original work lost, Song Dynasty copy)

Inspired by Cao Zhi's poem "The Goddess of the Luo River," this painting depicts the poignant story of Cao Zhi's encounter and love with the goddess Mi Fei on the banks of the Luo River, their tragic separation due to the incompatibility of human and divine realms.

The painting presents a continuous scene in the form of a long scroll, making it the earliest extant narrative scroll painting in China. It measures 572.8 cm in length and 27.1 cm in width.

The Nymph of the Luo River (full scroll) 225.51 inches × 10.67 inches

Ⅱ、Emperor Taizong Receiving the Tibetan Envoy (Tang Dynasty, circa 7th century)

Author: Yan Liben

In 640 AD (the 14th year of the Zhenguan era), the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo, admiring the civilization of the Tang Dynasty, sent the Tibetan envoy Gar Tongtsen Yulsung to Chang'an to establish diplomatic relations. The Emperor's Procession depicts the scene of Gar Tongtsen Yulsung's audience with Emperor Taizong of Tang.

The extant painting is believed to be a Song Dynasty copy. It is housed in the Palace Museum in Beijing. Ink and color on silk, 38.5 cm wide, 129.6 cm long.

Emperor Taizong Receiving the Tibetan Envoy(Alternative name: Bu Nian Tu)

Emperor Taizong Receiving the Tibetan Envoy (partial view)

Ⅲ、Ladies of the Tang Dynasty (Tang Dynasty, circa 7th century)

Artists: Zhang Xuan and Zhou Fang

Ladies of the Tang Dynasty is a collective term for five paintings of court ladies created by the Tang Dynasty painters Zhang Xuan and Zhou Fang. It comprises Zhang Xuan's Lady Guo's Spring Outing and Preparing Silk, and Zhou Fang's Ladies Wearing Flowers in Their Hair, Ladies with Fans, and Palace Music.

Ladies of the Tang Dynasty depicts the diverse lives of beautiful women in the Tang Dynasty, showcasing the opulent life of the Tang aristocracy and the open social atmosphere of the era. It is an important historical source for studying Tang Dynasty clothing, hairstyles, and social customs.

Lady Guo's Spring Outing (paper painting), the original is lost, the current collection is a copy; Ladies Wearing Flowers in Their Hair (silk painting), both are in the Liaoning Provincial Museum; The Preparation of Silk (silk scroll painting), looted from the Yuanmingyuan during its burning, is now in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts; Ladies with Fans (silk painting), is in the Palace Museum in Beijing; Palace Music (silk painting), is in the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

Ⅳ、Five Oxen (Tang Dynasty, circa 8th century)

Artist: Han Huang

This painting depicts five oxen in various poses, arranged in a line from right to left. Each ox has a distinct appearance and posture: one grazing and scratching itself on a bramble, one walking slowly with its head raised, one bellowing, one licking its tongue, and one standing upright with its head bowed.

Five Oxen measures 20.8 cm wide and 139.8 cm long. It is one of the few surviving authentic Tang Dynasty paper paintings and the oldest existing Chinese painting on paper. It is currently housed in the Palace Museum in Beijing.

Ⅴ、The Night Banquet of Han Xizai (Southern Tang Dynasty, circa 10th century)

Artist: Gu Hongzhong

The Night Banquet of Han Xizai is a long scroll painting depicting the scene of a night banquet held at the home of official Han Xizai, filled with singing and revelry. The painting portrays a complete night banquet at Han's residence, including five scenes: pipa performance, dance performance, rest during the banquet, flute playing, and farewell to guests.

The Night Banquet of Han Xizai is 28.7 cm wide and 335.5 cm long, and is currently housed in the Palace Museum in Beijing.

Ⅵ、A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains (Northern Song Dynasty, 1113)

Artist: Wang Ximeng

This work, in the form of a long scroll, is meticulously detailed. The vast expanse of rivers and rolling mountains creates a beautiful landscape of Jiangnan (southern China). Still scenes such as fishing villages, waterside pavilions, thatched huts, watermills, and long bridges are interspersed with scenes of fishing, boating, leisure, and market activities.

A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains is a silk painting, 51.5cm wide and 1191.5cm long. It is a first-class national cultural relic of China and is currently housed in the Palace Museum in Beijing.

Ⅶ、Along the River During the Qingming Festival (Northern Song Dynasty, circa early 12th century)

Author: Zhang Zeduan

Along the River During the Qingming Festival depicts the urban landscape of Bianjing (Kaifeng), the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty in the 12th century, and the lives of people from all walks of life at that time. It is a testament to the prosperity of Bianjing during the Northern Song Dynasty and a reflection of the city's economy.

The scroll, over five meters long, depicts a vast number of figures, livestock such as oxen, mules, and donkeys, carriages, sedan chairs, boats of various sizes, houses, bridges, and city towers, each with its own unique characteristics, reflecting the architectural features of the Song Dynasty.

Along the River During the Qingming Festival is a genre painting of the Northern Song Dynasty, 24.8 cm wide and 528.7 cm long, and is currently housed in the Palace Museum in Beijing.

Ⅷ、Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains (Yuan Dynasty, 1350)

Author: Huang Gongwang

Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains is a horizontal scroll painting that primarily depicts the beautiful scenery of the mountains and waters along the Fuchun River in Fuyang.

Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains was severed in two as part of a funerary ritual. The first half, titled "Remaining Mountain," is now in the Zhejiang Provincial Museum; the second half, titled "Master Wuyong's Scroll," is now in the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

Ⅸ、Spring Morning in the Han Palace (Ming Dynasty, circa 16th century)

Artist: Qiu Ying

Spring Morning in the Han Palace depicts the Han Dynasty imperial court in the early morning light of spring, using a long scroll format to portray the various aspects of the court ladies. The painting features 114 figures, including empresses, palace maids, princes, eunuchs, and painters, all dressed in vibrant colors and displaying diverse postures, some seemingly idle, others busily engaged.

Spring Morning in the Han Palace measures 30.6 cm wide and 574.1 cm long, and is currently housed in the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

Ⅹ、One Hundred Horses (Qing Dynasty, 1728)

Artist: Giuseppe Castiglione (Italian missionary)

In 1715, Giuseppe Castiglione came to China as a Jesuit missionary. His exceptional painting skills led him to become a court painter for the Qing court. In March of the second year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign (1724), he was commissioned by the emperor to begin creating One Hundred Horses.

Through systematic observation of the skeletal structure and dynamic characteristics of the horses in the imperial gardens, he completed this monumental work after four years.

One Hundred Horses is an ink and color painting on silk, 94.5 cm wide and 776.2 cm long. It is currently housed in the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

One Hundred Horses (Complete Scroll)

One Hundred Horses (partial view)

About Us