Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

Ashmolean − Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

Beauties and Heroes: Legends and Stories in Chinese Art

(from 21st Jan until 15th Jul 2012)

Explore paintings, prints and papercuts depicting legendary figures from Chinese folklore.

Detail of Heroes from The Water Margin, by Shi Dawei, Shanghai, 2003 (Museum No: EA2007.194)
Fan Jin is awoken by Butcher Hu slapping himfront

© the artist

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Fan Jin is awoken by Butcher Hu slapping him

  • Description

    The Scholars, written by Qing dynasty novelist Wu Jingzi (1701-1754), contains a series of short satirical stories about intellectuals struggling with the imperial civil service examination, the only way to a worldly success.

    Fan Jin’s story is particularly well known as it is featured in school textbooks. The scholar had spent almost all of his life studying for the civil service exam without success. A poor old man, he was therefore despised by his father-in-law Butcher Hu. Fan eventually passes the provincial exam, which completely changes his status, securing his place as an official in the upper rank. Overexcited upon hearing this news, Fan suddenly starts acting strangely. In this painting, Fan (upper middle) is awoken by a slap on his face from Butcher Hu (lower right), who regrets that he just slapped ‘the God of Literature descending to the world’.

  • Details

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    Associated place
    Asia › China › Jiangsu province › Nanjing (place of creation)
    Date
    1954 - 2007
    Artist/maker
    Zhang Youxian (born 1954) (artist)
    Zhang Youxian (born 1954) (calligrapher)
    after Wu Jingzi (1701 - 1754) (author)
    Material and technique
    ink and colour on paper
    Dimensions
    20.3 x 14.5 cm (height x width)
    Material index
    processed material › paper
    Technique index
    decorated › painted,
    painted,
    covered › coated › painted,
    marked › painted,
    drawn (image) › line drawing › brush drawing
    Object type index
    visual representation › calligraphy,
    visual representation › album,
    visual representation › painting
    No. of items
    n/a
    Credit line
    Presented in honour of the 75th birthday of Angelita Trinidad Reyes, 2007.
    Accession no.
    EA2007.218.h

Past Exhibition

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Location

    • currently in research collection

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