Spring Excursion: Unrolling the Epic Journey of a Chinese Treasure

To this day, there are altogether 195 designated historical artifacts on the list of the National Cultural Heritage Administration that can never leave Chinese soil. Among them, 20 are paintings, a genre most susceptible to gradual damage with the passage of time. 

Luckily for visitors to the cultural relic exhibition entitled “The Making of Zhongguo – Origins, Developments and Achievements of Chinese Civilization” held recently at China’s Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, they had a chance to take a closer look at the most treasured of them all  – Zhan Ziqian’s Spring Excursion (展子虔游春图) which ranks number one on the aforementioned list. While it may already be a bit dull in color, its significance cannot be understated.

So, what is it that makes this painting so special?