Manual of the Mustard Seed Garden, Volume 5

Pages 16 — 17

original: 昉黃子久碧溪青嶂圖 (Fang Huang Zijiu Bixi Qingzhang Tu). "Zijiu" is the courtesy name of Huang Gongwang (1269–1354), the most influential of the "Four Masters of the Yuan Dynasty." His style is defined by "hemp-fiber" texture strokes and a sense of calm, scholarly reclusion.

Sheng Dan (盛丹) was a prominent 17th-century artist from Nanjing who contributed designs to the Manual of the Mustard Seed Garden. Here, he interprets the classic Yuan dynasty aesthetic for the popular folding fan format.

This woodblock print is a masterpiece of the "multi-block" (douban) color printing technique. The use of light reddish-brown (sienna) washes alongside black ink allows the artist to suggest the warmth of sunlight on the "blue peaks," even in a printed medium. The fan shape requires a unique compositional balance: the weight of the mountains is concentrated on the sides and top, allowing the central "green stream" to provide a sense of depth and breathability in the middle.

The landscape depicted here is a classic "scholarly retreat." Small pavilions are nestled among dense clusters of trees, and the layering of the peaks suggests a vast distance. In the "literati" tradition, such a painting was not just a decoration for a fan, but a mental escape for the owner—a way to carry a mountain wilderness in one’s hand while navigating the heat and crowds of the city.