Rulers of art

When asked to name the real-life monarchs most frequently portrayed in period films and television dramas, one answer that springs immediately to people's minds would be a three-generation trio: Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong — the grandfather, father and son who ruled the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in its prime. The three emperors' successive reigns culminated in a period in Chinese history characterized by expansive, stable territory, diligent governance, and social and cultural prosperity.

This history provides modern-day playwrights with abundant resources and great room for imagination. Plotlines creatively diversify, centering on the emperors' diligent rule, political maneuvering among princesses to seize the throne, anecdotes about the emperors' incognito visits, and harem rivalries for the emperors' favor; even time-travel romance is integrated to spice up the court infighting.

In historical reality, aside from their devotion to state affairs, the trio of monarchs preferred to spend their fleeting leisure time in the world of ink and brush, accompanied by cultured courtiers. The rulers left a wealth of paintings and calligraphic works created by themselves and in collaboration with favorite officials and court artists.

Visitors to the Guardian Art Center in downtown Beijing will lay their eyes upon a splendid selection of over 90 works from this legacy. The ongoing exhibition, Diligent Governance and Peaceful Realm: Paintings and Calligraphy of the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Emperors and Their Literary Courtiers, on show through Oct 7, is showcasing pieces from the Palace Museum collection. The exhibition title is borrowed from the four characters engraved on a seal Kangxi often used — chi ji qing yan — expressing his desire for a tranquil mind in the intervals of handling state business.

At the exhibition's entrance stand the official portraits of the three monarchs in their majestic royal attires. They received a multicultural education from early childhood, encompassing the Manchu, Han, Mongolian, and Tibetan ethnic traditions. They valued self-cultivation and the cultivation of their offspring through excellence in the Confucian classics, poetry, and Chinese painting and calligraphy. Education deeply influenced not only their administrative governance and military strategies but also their cultural acumen, leading to a prestigious imperial art collection.

Their calligraphy reflects an important dimension of systematic, rigorous training throughout the years, according to Zhao Ziru, the exhibition's curator. She says that by copying these great works housed in the court, the three excelled in calligraphy and assimilated the strengths of ancient masters from various schools.

People often talk with great relish about Yongzheng's tactful victory in a fierce battle for succession to the throne; little do they know that he is recognized as one of the most accomplished emperor-calligraphers. Several of his handwritten pieces are on show, including a self-composed poem, Summer Boating. His models include the "two Wangs", Wang Xizhi and his son Xianzhi, two eminent calligraphers of the fourth century, and Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322), while his rhythmic strokes generate an energetic flow on paper, exposing the emperor's utmost reverence for Dong Qichang (1555-1636).

A significant event in the Qing Dynasty's royal collection was the establishment of the Sanxi Tang (Hall of Three Rarities). Emperor Qianlong assembled three invaluable works from the fourth century: Kuaixue Shiqing Tie (Sunlight after Snowfall) by the great calligrapher Wang Xizhi; Zhongqiu Tie (Mid-Autumn) by his son, Wang Xianzhi; and Boyuan Tie (Letter to Boyuan) by Wang Xun.

Qianlong housed them in one of his studies at the Forbidden City (today the Palace Museum) — the West Warm Chamber of the Yangxin Dian (Hall of Mental Cultivation) — and in 1746, he renamed it Sanxi Tang. He wrote The Record of the Hall of Three Rarities to mark the occasion, which is now on display, reflecting his excitement in acquiring the three works. His calligraphy is elegantly rounded, showing the soaring spirit of a sovereign then in his prime.

The exhibition shows another of Qianlong's calligraphies, a practice copy of the Three Rarities. In an appended inscription at the end of the scroll, the emperor wrote that he had previously "copied the original pieces dozens of times" to capture the brush techniques and truly understand the artistic spirit.

Wang Yuegong, deputy director of the Palace Museum, says the reigns of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong marked a climax of civil governance in the Qing imperial court, and in the Kangxi era, the Nan Shufang (Southern Study) was established as an institution serving both administrative and literary functions. "It recruited erudite 'literary courtiers' to serve within the palace, thereafter fostering a flourishing tradition in which monarchs and their ministers bonded through poetry, calligraphy and painting," he says.

In court, the monarchs discussed state affairs with prominent cabinet members. In their spare time, they shared aesthetic preferences with their favorite subordinates, enjoying their flattery.

Some are well known to people today, as their anecdotes have become part of pop culture through hit period dramas. For example, Heshen was an infamous high-ranking Manchurian official whose corruption tarnished the governance late in Qianlong's reign. The exhibition displays a hanging scroll painting depicting an elderly Qianlong on horseback shooting two deer in the wild. It may have been made by an anonymous court painter, and the inscriptions made by the emperor himself, his sons, and courtiers, including Heshen.

Ji Yun, better known as Ji Xiaolan, was another of Qianlong's cultural courtiers. He is a male protagonist in a popular period comedy series in which he and Heshen accompany Qianlong on unofficial visits outside the palace in disguise. The accomplished scholar and calligrapher was appointed to oversee the compilation of the Siku Quanshu (A Complete Library of the Four Treasures), the largest collection of books in ancient China. His calligraphy, a poem composed by Qianlong, is written on a paper fan that is displayed in the exhibition.

The exhibition is the eighth of its kind under a collaboration between the Palace Museum and the Guardian Art Center. Kou Qin, general manager of the Guardian Art Center, says the current theme capitalizes on a highly distinctive, yet rarely addressed, category of the Palace Museum collection — the calligraphy of the three sovereigns and their works in collaboration with ministers.

The last exhibition, held a year ago, shed light on the aesthetics and order of hierarchy embodied in imperial designs through a display of artifacts including bronzes, porcelains, jade, enamelware, glassware, and textiles. This time, the exhibits may not create an immediate visual impact; however, Kou says, "The gathering of hanging scrolls, hand scrolls and album leaves would command a composed mood for people to pause and appreciate with careful attention."