A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains, Attributed to Wang Ximeng (Northern Song Dynasty), Handscroll — an Appreciation
Welcome to this workshop, where we will encounter one of the greatest treasures of Chinese art: the Northern Song handscroll A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains, attributed to the teenage prodigy Wang Ximeng. Painted around 1113 on silk with mineral azurite and malachite pigments, this nearly twelve-meter scroll is the supreme masterpiece of the blue-green landscape tradition.
Over the course of our session, we will:
- Unroll the scroll together — literally or digitally — to experience how its six sections of mountains, water, bridges, and pathways unfold in the traditional handscroll viewing rhythm.
- Look closely at Wang Ximeng’s meticulous brushwork: tiny animated figures, stroke-by-stroke water ripples, and architecture nestled into the terrain.
- Explore the blue-green palette, learning how mineral pigments over an ochre ground produce the painting’s enduring luminosity.
- Try our hands at a guided exercise inspired by the work — sketching a landscape segment, mixing blue-green hues, and applying them to your sketch.
No prior art experience is needed — only curiosity. By the end, participants will not just have seen A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains; they will have felt how it works as a painting and as an experience of unrolling a world.
January 9th, 2027 | 1:00-4:00 PM
Zentralbibliothek,Hühnerposten 1, 20097 Hamburg
Fee: €8 per adult. Each adult may bring up to 2 children under 12 for free.
For: Art enthusiasts. No prior art experience needed!
Register: Scan the QR code or email us at connect.devak@outlook.com
Organizer: German Association for Asian Art
