Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms

original: 三才圖會 (Sancai Tuhui); a comprehensive encyclopedia from the Ming Dynasty, intended to catalog all knowledge across the realms of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity.

Geography, Volume 12

original: 地理十二卷 (Dili Shiyi Juan)

Illustration of White Crane Peak

original: 白鶴峰圖 (Baihe Feng Tu)

The illustration depicts the towering and craggy vistas of White Crane Peak located in Huizhou, Guangdong; it is most famous as the site where the celebrated poet Su Dongpo built a house during his exile in the 1090s. The artist has captured the "mountain and water" shanshui aesthetic typical of the Ming period, emphasizing the verticality of the peaks.

On the right side of the image, a prominent natural stone archway creates a gateway into the higher elevations. Tucked into the face of the cliff is a small temple or monastic retreat, illustrating the traditional Chinese ideal of harmony between human architecture and the natural world. In the foreground, two figures in the robes of scholars stand near the water's edge on a rocky shore, engaged in a dialogue that suggests a journey of intellectual or spiritual wandering.