Manual of Painting, Opening Volume

Preface III

Though the ownership has changed hands three times, the compilation remains widely circulated. People continue to purchase it as they always have, and the Mustard Seed Garden remains as esteemed as ever. How true it is that a book is passed down because of the reputation of the person, and through that person, the place itself is immortalized! The "person" refers to the famous literatus Li Yu, whose garden, the Mustard Seed Garden, became synonymous with this high-quality manual. I shall reflect briefly on its origins.

Those who possess a passion for this art have dedicated their utmost efforts to it. Previously, there was a compilation produced at Shourui Likely a reference to the geographical origin or the studio of the previous landscape volume.. Now, this current volume is compiled by Master Shen Sibo Shen Xin (courtesy name Sibo) was the artist and editor responsible for the second and third collections of the manual, which expanded the series to include biological subjects.. He has produced paintings from his long-held collection of ancient bronze vessels, flora, insects, and birds. These are works of celebrated excellence. The resulting work is as thick as an ox’s waist A traditional Chinese idiom (niuyao) used to describe a very large or voluminous book., so that...