A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains digital PDF

128862×5160 pixels, silk background with colored painting
File formats available: PDF high resolution + JPG high resolution + TIF ultra-high resolution
File size: 1.45 GB

Qianlong Emperor’s Inscription:
“Boundless are the rivers and mountains in view, their essence vividly captured through divine craftsmanship. The Northern Song court produced two exceptional works, surpassing the three Tang masters with minimal use of texture strokes (cun). How astonishing are Wang and Zhao of this era, whose artistry could command a hall as master and servant alike. Why not reflect on what sort of individuals they were, while guiding the nation’s cauldron at that time?

Composed during the new year of the Bingwu cycle.”

Colophon by Cai Jing (Northern Song Calligrapher):
“On the 8th day of the intercalary fourth month in the third year of the Zhenghe era, this painting was bestowed. Wang Ximeng, at the age of 18, was formerly a student in the Painting Academy. He was summoned to the imperial library to serve, often presenting his paintings. While initially unremarkable, the emperor recognized his teachable nature and personally instructed him. Within less than half a year, he completed this painting and presented it to the emperor. The emperor, pleased, gifted it to me, Cai Jing, remarking that it only requires true effort for talent to emerge.”

Inscription by Monk Puguang (Yuan Dynasty):
“Since my early scholarly years, I have admired this scroll over a hundred times. Despite my study, the intricacies remain beyond full comprehension, unveiling new details upon each viewing. Its vivid colors and grand composition would leave even Wang Jinqing and Zhao Qianli in awe. Among ancient and modern landscape masterpieces, it reigns supreme, like the moon among stars. Discerning connoisseurs will undoubtedly agree with my assertion.
Inscribed respectfully by Monk Puguang, Grand Academician of the Zhaowen Academy, during the winter of the seventh year of the Dade era, 12th lunar month.”

Wang Ximeng (birth and death dates unknown) was a Chinese painter from the late Northern Song Dynasty. Little is known about his life, and historical records on him are sparse. According to the colophon by Cai Jing at the end of A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains (Qianli Jiangshan Tu), Wang Ximeng was an 18-year-old student in Emperor Huizong’s Painting Academy. His landscape painting skills were directly guided by Emperor Huizong himself.

Before 1113 (the third year of the Zhenghe era), Wang completed his monumental masterpiece A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains. Soon after, all traces of his life disappear from history. Qing scholars speculated that Wang Ximeng may have passed away shortly after completing this painting. This speculation adds a poignant layer to his only surviving work, celebrated as one of the greatest masterpieces of Chinese blue-green landscape painting.