On July 19th 2023 , the multilingual website of the Forbidden City Palace Museum- Beijing, China, People’s Republic of Chinawas officially released at the Digital Cultural Tourism Development Forum of the 2023 China Internet Civilization Conference! The website covers five languages: English, French, Russian, Japanese, and Spanish, and will meet the needs of audiences with different languages
The exhibition “Divine Steeds: The World of Horses in the Paintings and Calligraphy of the Palace Museum” will officially open to the public on April 22nd at the Wenhua Hall Painting and Calligraphy Gallery! In Chinese history, horses have been not only an important means of transportation, but also a standard of etiquette and ritual, and the foundation of national defense; the majestic and spirited nature of the horse is a unique symbol of Chinese spirit and culture. From the Tang Dynasty onwards, horse painting became an independent genre, and renowned horse painters throughout history have used their exquisite brushes to praise the horse’s divine and majestic posture, depicting …
What kind of magnificent painting depicting a thousand galloping horses could inspire both Zhu Yuanzhang and Hongli to inscribe it? The scroll “Copy of Wei Yan’s Herding Horses” in
the Palace Museum Shen Horse Exhibition is a rare surviving authentic work by the famous Northern Song Dynasty painter Li Gonglin. Rolling sand dunes and hidden rivers depict 142 herding officials driving 1247 official horses. The horses are well-proportioned and lifelike, perfectly capturing the grand scene of official herding during the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
The Tang Dynasty’s horse administration was the most robust of all dynasties, with the number of official horses exceeding 700,000 at its peak
Today is the last day of the Palace Museum’s special exhibition “Divine Steeds: The World of Horses in the Palace Museum’s Painting and Calligraphy Art” (closing on June 21). The exhibition showcases a thousand-year-old horse culture with 55 precious paintings and calligraphy works from the museum’s collection. Among them, important exhibits such as Li Gonglin’s “Copy of Wei Yan’s Herding Horses” and Zhao Mengfu’s “Horse and Rider” have attracted much attention.
I. Basic Information of the Exhibition
- Exhibition Title: Divine Steeds – The World of Horses in the Paintings and Calligraphy of the Palace Museum
- Venue: Wenhua Hall Painting and Calligraphy Gallery, Palace Museum
- Exhibition period: April 22 to June 21, 2026
- How to visit the exhibition: After booking your Palace Museum ticket through the Palace Museum mini-program, you can visit for free; no separate reservation is required.
- Exhibition Scale: The exhibition features 55 precious calligraphy and painting artifacts related to horses from the museum’s collection, including 20 national first-class cultural relics and 28 artifacts being exhibited for the first time
II. Exhibition Unit Setup
The exhibition is divided into four sections, interpreting horse culture from different perspectives:
| unit | theme | Core content |
| Unit 1 | travel | The relationship between horses and human life, the history of horseback riding as a mode of transportation, and the exhibits are arranged by “season,” from spring outings to autumn desert journeys. |
| Unit 2 | grazing | Horses were an important strategic resource in ancient times, and horse administration was crucial in depicting grand scenes of official herding, such as the galloping of thousands of horses in Li Gonglin’s “Copy of Wei Yan’s Herding Picture”. |
| Unit 3 | martial arts | Horses played a crucial role in the formation of a unified multi-ethnic state, as exemplified by Giuseppe Castiglione’s “Emperor Qianlong Hunting”. |
| Unit 4 | Divine Steed | The painter’s depiction of horses, whether in terms of spirit or form, reflects the literati’s self-projection. |
III. Highlights of Key Exhibits
- Li Gonglin’s “Copy of Wei Yan’s Herding Horses” scroll : A genuine surviving work by the Northern Song Dynasty painter Li Gonglin, over 4 meters long, depicting 142 herding officials driving 1247 government horses. It is a cultural relic prohibited from being exhibited abroad. The scroll contains inscriptions by Zhu Yuanzhang and Qianlong.
- The Northern Song Dynasty scroll painting “One Hundred Horses” is being exhibited publicly for the first time. It depicts the entire process of raising and tending official horses in the Song Dynasty, including details of “raising monkeys to ward off plague.” It is early pictorial evidence of the “弼马温” (Bima Wen, a low-ranking official in charge of horses) story.
- Zhao Mengfu’s “Horse and Rider” scroll : A representative work of Zhao Mengfu, a master of calligraphy and painting in the Yuan Dynasty. It bears his own inscription in the upper right corner and the seals “Zhao Shi Zi’ang” and others. It also contains colophons from five generations of the Zhao family, making it extremely rare.
- Zhao Mengfu’s “Letter to Ji Zongyuan in Running Script” : This letter from Zhao Mengfu to his in-laws expresses his frustration with the demanding work of managing horse affairs while serving as a Vice Minister of War. The calligraphy retains the archaic and unadorned style characteristic of his early studies of Zhong Yao.
- Lang Shining’s “Kan Hu Liu Tu” scroll : It depicts one of Emperor Qianlong’s most beloved horses, painted in a delicate and realistic style.
- Lang Shining’s “Emperor Qianlong Hunting” scroll : This painting depicts Emperor Qianlong hunting in the Nanyuan Hunting Grounds in the late spring of 1755. It also includes three poems personally inscribed by Emperor Qianlong.
- The scroll “Six Steeds of Zhaoling” by Zhao Lin of the Jin Dynasty is based on the relief sculpture of the Six Steeds of Zhaoling. Each horse is accompanied by an inscription by Zhao Bingwen, which records its name, skin color, battle experience, and number of arrow wounds.
- The Yuan Dynasty painting “Leaving the Stable” by Ren Renfa , created when he was 26, depicts three grooms leading four fine horses out of the stable. Ren Renfa was also a renowned water conservancy expert.
- The scroll painting “Foreign Horsemen” attributed to Hu Gui of the Five Dynasties period depicts Mongolian travelers heading against the wind in autumn and winter. The woman in red is wearing a Mongol “auntie crown,” proving that this painting is not a work from the Five Dynasties period.
- Wen Zhengming’s “Running Script Poem on Wanghu Pavilion” (Fan Page) : Records the reclusive thoughts expressed during a spring outing to the Western Hills outside Beijing.
IV. Practical Tips for Visitors
- The exhibition hall lighting is dim: To protect the silk paintings from light damage, it is recommended to bring a magnifying glass (close-up magnifying glass) for close examination.
- The exhibition hall is quite cold; since constant temperature and humidity are required to protect the artifacts, it is recommended to bring an extra jacket.
- No reservation is required for the exhibition: simply purchase a Palace Museum ticket and proceed to the Hall of Literary Glory after admission. As the exhibition is nearing its closing date, visitor numbers are relatively low
Images and visuals are from – Forbidden City –Palace Museum Beijing- China –People’s Republic of China…..
