Art for eyes and ears

In this Qing painting, two men of the Miao ethnic group are playing Lusheng, a typical Miao musical instrument, while three women are dancing with hand bells.

Painting of "A Blind Singer "(Manggetu) is one of 120 pieces that Ren Xiong, the well-known Qing painter, drew for Yao Xie, then famous litterateur. In the painting, a blind actor was sitting under a canopy, singing while beating a drum with brackets. Another man was playing a trichord. Around them was an attentive audience, including women, children and seniors.

"A Night Banquet at Peach and Plum Garden in Spring"

Paintings with musical themes go beyond bringing forth the court splendor or tranquil ordinary life. They can be poems of ancient Chinese literati, conveying their refinement and erudition. In ancient China, an educated man was supposed to spend hours occupying himself writing poetry, painting or doing calligraphy with melodious tunes lingering around. The painting “A Night Banquet at Peach and Plum Garden in Spring,” by Huang Shen in the Qing Dynasty, depicts a gathering of Chinese literati. A couple of scholars sat around a stone table under a pine, with some appreciating poems and still some boozing. Meanwhile, two female performers were playing musical instruments, creating an agreeable and urbane atmosphere.

These paintings are used not only to be seen with the eyes, but also to be heard with the ears. It’s a pity that no recording machines were available to track those melodious tunes though, these paintings left behind a musical legacy that would be relayed generation after generation. They serve as a key for music development in the Qing dynasty, when one after another musical titans, including Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Liszt and Johann Sebastian Bach, sprang up in the West, championing the world of music.