Wang Yun (1652—1735 or
later)
The Fanghu Isle of the Immortals (detail)
Qing dynasty, Kangxi reign,
dated 1699
Hanging scroll; ink and
colors on silk
142 x 60.3 cm
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art,
Kansas City;
Fortieth Anniversary Memorial
Acquisition Fund cat. no. 149
The
Fanghu Isle of the Immortals
Fanghu (literally, "square jar") is one of three mythical island homes
of immortals traditionally thought to lie in the sea off the east coast
of China. Fanghu was a common theme in Chinese painting, and this
hanging scroll depicting it is one of the finest. Belief in this island
dates to at least the third century B.C., when the first emperor of
China sent an expedition into the eastern sea in the hopes of making
contact with beings who could teach him the secrets of immortality.
This expedition remains one of the more tragic events in Chinese
history: since immortals were believed to have eternal youth, the
emperor sent an embassy of young boys and girls to communicate with
them. None returned. Largely because of this event, Taoists came to
believe that Fanghu and the other islands either lay beyond violent
seas that prevented mortals from finding them or rested on the backs of
great tortoises who were constantly in motion, so that the mountains
had no permanent location.
Wang
Yun depicted the mythical Fanghu rising from such an ocean. In this
scroll, a precariously perched, oddly-shaped rock formation rises
forcefully from surging waves. The other islands can be seen in the
background through mist. The island is inhabited by immortals, whose
red-and-green palaces with gold roofs resemble Taoist temples nestled
in the folds of the rock. The rest of the mountain is an ideal
landscape adorned with magical plants and trees, misty vapors, and
mysterious caverns from which waterfalls descend. The inscription in
the upper left by the artist indicates that this hanging scroll was
painted for a Taoist named Helao and based on an older Song-dynasty
composition.
THE SACRED LANDSCAPE
Introduction
The Chinese word for landscape literally means "mountains and
water," and the many geographical features of the natural
worldóits rocks and streams, valleys and peaks, rising and
falling movementsówere believed to be material embodiments of
yin and yang energy. As such, landscape paintings did not just depict
the outer forms of nature, but were equally concerned with the
movements of the energies that infuse the natural world with life. All
of the patterns of nature, from the loftiest cliff face to the smallest
rock and from violent ocean to intimate stream, were viewed as outward
signs of the vital energy (qi) that formed the basis for all matter.
Of all the material embodiments of energy, mountains were the most
impressive, with their massive twisting forms thrusting upward to the
heavens. Mountain cults developed even before the formation of
religious Taoism, and they remained the most important sacred places in
Taoism. Mountains were home to revered immortals, Taoist temples and
retreats, and the herbs and fungi that gave long life.
A landscape painting may be connected to Taoism because it depicts a
mythical sacred mountain populated by immortals, like the western Mount
Kunlun, home of the Queen Mother of the West, or the eastern
mountain-island Fanghu. It may also be connected to Taoism because it
depicts a real mountain known for its Taoist temples. Many Taoist
priests spent a great deal of time in the mountains and became
accomplished landscape painters themselves.
glossary:
Northern and Southern dynasties
(386-589) long period of political disunity after the fall of
the Han dynasty. During this time, China was divided into a number of
smaller kingdoms. The period is also known as the Six Dynasties.
Mongol of or
relating
to the inhabitants of Mongolia in central Asia, who ruled China during
the Yuan dynasty
elixir in Outer
Alchemy, a magical potion that bestows immortality when swallowed; in
Inner Alchemy, the life-prolonging energy attained through spiritual
purification
Yuan dynasty (1260-1368)
a period of foreign occupation by the nomadic tribes of Mongolia.
Europe's diplomatic and religious interest in China grew during the
Yuan dynasty, and missionaries arrived for the first time. Marco Polo
of Venice worked for 17 years in the service of Khubilai Khan, grandson
of the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan. Faced with discrimination by
foreign rulers, the educated Chinese recalled their ast and turned
their energies to art and culture, including theater (which was
influenced by Taoism), painting, and poetry. The Taoist Eight Immortals
became popular, and the great Taoist temple with its extraordinary
painted murals, the Palace of Eternal Joy (Yongle Gong), was built.
Five Phases the
relationship of nature's five elements (water, wood, fire, metal, and
earth) to various natural cycles and phenomena. In Taoism, each of the
five elements corresponds to a time of day, direction, and season.
Movement from one phase to the next occurs in defined sequences. For
instance, water (night, north, winter) eventually becomes wood
(morning, east, spring). The Five Phase system also includes the 12
animals of the Chinese zodiac (for example, the rat and pig are
water signs). The movements of the Five Phases are rooted in the cycles
of yin and yang.
Queen Mother
of the West the Taoist goddess who
rules over the western paradise and is the head of a pantheon of
goddesses and female immortals. In her garden, she grows the peaches of
immortality.
Northern and
Southern dynasties (386—589) long
period of political disunity after the fall of the Han dynasty. During
this time, China was divided into a number of smaller kingdoms. The
period is also known as the Six Dynasties.
Three Purities
(Three Clarities) the highest deities
in Taoism, they reside over the three greatest heavenly realms. Their
names are the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, the Celestial
Worthy of Numinous Treasure, and the Celestial Worthy of the Way and
Its Power.
Jade
Emperor chief of the pantheon of popular gods
incorporated into Taoism
Five Sacred Peaks five
sacred mountains located along the five directions (north, south, east,
west, and center) that occupy powerful places in Taoist geography. The
sacred mountains are not actually single peaks; rather they are
networks of peaks, cliffs, gorges, hills, ravines, etc. To communicate
with the deities on these mountains, emperors ordered the construction
of important Taoist temples on each peak. Taoists also believe that
immortals inhabit the Five Sacred Peaks. On their slopes grow the
magical mushrooms that bestow immortality.
yin and
yang two opposing types of
energy or contrasting forces. Yin is described as yielding, passive,
negative, dark, and female. Yang is dynamic, assertive, positive,
light, and male. The two energies are opposite and yet mutually
dependent. Yin may become yang and vice versa, just as day becomes
night, cold becomes hot, and the reverse. The behavior of yin and yang
describes the structure of any event or thing. It may be said that
their dynamic relationship describes the operation of the Tao in its
cycles of creation, and that their alternating movement underlies the
structure of everything in the universe. The concept of yin and yang is
conveyed by the tiger and dragon and by the Taiji symbol.
T
A O I
S M A N D T
H E A R T
S O F C H I
N A
R E V I E W
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