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

The composition of this painting is at once that of a typical landscape handscroll and of a traditional genre scene. In addition to some familiar landscript character forms: 水 water, 石 rock, 门 door, 窗 window and various types of trees, there are features using forms altered from previous landscripts, for example the gate between the large stones around the duck pen. The appearance of oracle bone script, bronze script and seal script distinguishes this work from Xu Bing’s previous landscripts and marks a new depth in his understanding of the relationship between painting and writing. The characters on the buildings note different purposes, such as fishing, silk production or hunting and so create the impression of a timeless or ancient idyll.