"Listening to songs" scene: This part has the most characters. Han Xizai, with a long beard, a tall hat and a black robe, sat cross-legged on the couch and enjoyed the pipa played by geisha with other banquet guests and maids. The painter vividly described the scene of "listening to songs" with his profound skill. From the people's eyes and gestures in the painting, the viewer can fully feel the melody played by the pipa, which is playing chords with the listener.
"Watch the dance" scene: This part is more vivid. Han Xizai, the protagonist, accompanied by drums himself, and the painter's portrayal of minor characters was even more ingenious. For example, Wu Wangshan, a prostitute in "Han Xizai", is petite and light-footed, and he looks embarrassed when he meets his friend monk Deming unexpectedly. It can be said that he has both form and spirit and vivid image.
"Rest" scene: This part can be said to be the transition and connection part of the whole painting circle. Han Xizai sat on the sofa and washed her hands. Through the description of this seemingly ordinary behavior, the painter directly shows the intermittent link at the banquet, closely following the theme of rest here. This fully embodies the simplicity and conciseness of China's traditional painting. ?
Scene of Qing Blowing: The most fascinating part of this part lies in the painter's description of five geisha who play blowing music. Han Xizai, the protagonist, is sitting with a fan. Five geisha lined up in a row, dense and orderly, with different expressions and dynamics. This vivid image is due to the artist's superb skills in character description.
Return to the Banquet: This part ends with the story of Han Xizai, the protagonist, waving goodbye to the banquet guests after the banquet. Throughout the whole volume, there is no doubt that the painter depicts the hero Han Xizai, such an ambitious but unpaid scholar-bureaucrat.
In every scene of the painting, the protagonist's melancholy is in sharp contrast with other banquets and geisha's singing and dancing, which highlights Han Xizai's gloomy mood. This painting was personally promoted by Li Yu, the last emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty. With extraordinary painting expression and artistic level, it has become a national treasure recognized by the world-"Han Xizai's Night Banquet".
Supposedly, Han Xizai, who has great political ambitions, should have shown his talents in politics, but unexpectedly, the painting "Han Xizai's Banquet" has been handed down from generation to generation, leaving the world with a decadent image of debauchery and debauchery. Because of this, people have given many different explanations about the origin of this painting.
When Li Yu succeeded to the throne, the Southern Tang Dynasty was in a slump, while the Northern Zhou Dynasty rose rapidly, and there was a tendency to send troops south to unify the whole country. Facing the strong enemy in the north, Li Yu wanted to appoint Han Xizai as the prime minister to help him, but he was suspicious because Han Xizai was a northerner. Han Xizai, on the other hand, deeply understood that he was quite generous to Nantang on the surface, but in fact he didn't gain real trust.
Therefore, in order to avoid being imprisoned for no reason, Han Xizai began to indulge in debauchery in life, hoping to blind the eyes and ears of the imperial court so that he could enjoy his old age and die unsatisfied.
Even so, Li Yu, the late ruler, was not at ease with Han Xizai, so he sent Zhou Wenju and Gu from the Hanlin Painting Academy to sneak into Han Zhai late at night to spy out their scenes of indulging in singing and drinking, and then drew a stunning painting through his eyes and heart-Han Xizai's Night Banquet. ?
This "Han Xizai's Night Banquet" became the national treasure painting of the puppet Manchukuo after Puyi fled to the northeast. Due to the collapse of Manchukuo, this painting has been scattered among the people and has become one of the sensational "Northeast Goods".
Later, Ma Ji Chuan, the owner of Fang Shan antique shop in the fish pond of Beiping Liulichang, bought this painting and kept it for sale. At present, Gu's "Han Xizai's Night Banquet" is treasured in the Palace Museum and has become a treasure of the town hall. But the hidden story behind this extraordinary painting still makes it difficult for the world to clarify the reasons.