Stories of Crossings: Exiles, Loyalties, Rustics
Some of these crossings are real journeys across the frontiers of China into ‘barbarian’ territory. Others are remarkable crossings within China, away into exile, deep into the wilderness of else magically into some hidden utopian world. Still others are crossings in the romantic imagination or the passing of loyal or righteous suicides into the afterlife. When such tales are translated into paintings, the image is often of the human figure at a pivotal, defining moment. Whether illustrating an unfamiliar story or stirring the memory, such figures become the focus of strong emotion and empathy.
Many of these iconic stories of crossings date to high antiquity. Some legends originated in pre-history, but were recorded in the classical poetry of antiquity. Many didactic and exemplary stories date to the first great empire, the Han (206 BC – 220 AD). Other tales date to the era of individualism which followed the collapse of Han authority.