Overview
During the Qing Dynasty, Chinese Emperors performed inspection tours periodically during their reign. These inspections involved traveling to important temples, cities, and other locations across South China and performing different “inspections” as well as religious and ceremonial rituals. This practice was meant to demonstrate the legitimacy and power of the Emperor to his subjects and present himself as an ideal ruler. These Southern Inspection Tours were extensively documented in different ways, one of which was visually through handscrolls.
Handscrolls are not meant to be hung on a wall or displayed to be viewed by large audiences. Instead, they are treated similarly to books, to be stored away until viewed by an individual. When ‘reading’ a handscroll, only a portion of the full image is seen at one time, with the rest of the image’s length rolled up. As an individual ‘reads’ the handscroll, they shift the portion that is visible by rolling and unfurling the scroll from right to left. The similarities between books and handscrolls are not only in their occasional rather than constant viewing, but in their ability to be used for both storytelling and documentation.
Because their purpose is rooted in documentation, the stylistic choices in these handscroll paintings are not particularly imaginative or exciting. This painting style was created by Wang Hui, the artist behind the Qianlong Emperor’s Southern Inspection Tour scrolls, and combines the landscape painting methods and style used during his time and the blue/green palette used during the Tang Dynasty. The integration of the painting style of this past dynasty, which was seen as the ‘golden age’ of Chinese culture and power, was meant to evoke the grandeur of this age while creating a connection to his generation.
Kangxi’s grandson, the Qianlong Emperor, chose to continue his grandfather’s methods for visual documentation of the southern inspection tours. While Qianlong’s Inspection tour scrolls feature a style reminiscent of the one Wang Hui created, there are some key differences. The most notable is linear perspective. Traditional Chinese landscapes in handscroll paintings featured shifting perspectives, where any given scene would be from a slightly different perspective depending on what the artist wished to show. Linear perspective uses the same perspective throughout the length of the handscroll. This method for depicting landscapes was introduced through Western Jesuit missionaries within the Chinese courts. An Italian Jesuit named Giuseppe Castiglione (though he later adopted the name Lang Shining) was a prominent court painter in China, and worked alongside Chinese painters to synthesize European painting techniques and traditional Chinese methods and styles.
Timeline
Because the examples in my project are part of two different collections of works made in 1698 and 1770, it does not make sense to build a timeline for the individual pieces. However, it does make sense to look at how some aspects of the later collection were influenced by the earlier collection and in what ways they may differ due to later Western influences.
Title: The Kangxi Emperor’s Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll One: Beijing: Yongding Gate to Nan Yuan
Artist: Wang Hui and assistants
Period: Qing Dynasty (1644–1911)
Date: 1691-1698
Culture: China
Medium: Ink and color on silk
Dimensions: 67.5 × 1555 cm
Source: The Palace Museum
Credit: Photo from Wikimedia Commons
This handscroll depicts the emperor and his entourage as they begin the imperial inspection tour. The landscape of the painting features continuously shifting perspectives and a green and blue palette reminiscent of the Tang Dynasty. As he travels to his temporary palace at Nan Yuan, the Emperor is shown riding a white horse as he and the guards that surround him travel along a path lined with ceremonial carriages and elephants. The Kangxi Emperor is depicted at a slightly larger scale than the other human figures in the painting. His larger size is used to illustrate his importance relative to others in the scene. A figure next to the Emperor is seen holding a bright yellow cover over the Emperor’s head. As yellow is the color of China’s royalty, this addition further separates the Emperor from the other figures.
Title: The Kangxi Emperor’s Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll Three: Ji’nan to Mount Tai
Artist: Wang Hui and assistants
Period: Qing Dynasty (1644–1911)
Date: 1698
Culture: China
Medium: Ink and color on silk
Dimensions: 26 3/4 in. x 45 ft. 8 3/4 in. (67.9 x 1393.8 cm)
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Purchase, The Dillon Fund Gift, 1979 (1979.5a–d)
Credit: Images © The Metropolitan Museum of Art
This scroll depicts the emperor and his entourage as they travel to Mount Tai. The work features continuously shifting perspectives and the signature blue/green landscape palette. This scene depicts a mountainous landscape of layered cliffs with rounded, organic shapes that seem to move and flow. Tiny figures can be seen traveling along winding roads throughout the scroll. The largest mountain form depicted in the painting is Mount Tai. This mountain is a sacred space where emperors worshipped heaven and reported on the state of their empire. Because only the Emperor, who is believed to be appointed by the heavens, is capable of completing this ceremony, depicting this scene expresses Kangxi’s legitimacy as Emperor.
Title: The Kangxi Emperor’s Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll Twelve: Beijing: Yongding Gate to Hall of Supreme Harmony
Artist: Wang Hui and assistants
Period: Qing Dynasty (1644–1911)
Date: 1691-1698
Culture: China
Medium: Ink and color on silk
Dimensions: 2612.5 cm long
Source: The Palace Museum Digital Cultural Relics Library Website
Credit: Photo from Wikimedia Commons
This piece uses a shifting perspective and greens, blues, and reds, as well as yellow, the color of imperial royalty, to depict the return of the Kangxi Emperor and his followers to the courts, where his subjects gather to await his arrival. This scroll is slightly different from the other examples in its direction of movement. Though the scroll is still ‘read’ from right to left, the main direction of movement of the figures is left to right. This choice may have been made to emphasize that this scene depicts the return of the emperor, who is shown on a carriage surrounded by guards, and the end of the journey. Near the left end of the painting, people of different social classes are grouped together to form the characters Tianzi Wannian, which means “Long Live the Son of Heaven”. announcing the end of the Southern Tour’s festivities and expressing a message of support for the Emperor.
Title: The Qianlong Emperor’s Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll Four: The Confluence of the Huai and Yellow Rivers (Qianlong nanxun, juan si: Huang Huai jiaoliu)
Artist: Xu Yang and assistants
Period: Qing Dynasty (1644–1911)
Date: 1770
Culture: China
Medium: Ink and color on silk
Dimensions: 27 1/16 in. × 35 ft. 11 9/16 in. (68.8 × 1096.2 cm)
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Purchase, The Dillon Fund Gift, 1984 (1984.16a–c)
Credit: Images © The Metropolitan Museum of Art
This handscroll from the Qianlong Emperor’s Southern Inspection Tour depicts the emperor and his entourage as they visit the city of Suzhou. This panorama depicts the city with greens and blues, with textured waves creating movement as you scan the images from right to left. These stylistic aspects were influenced by Wang Hui’s work for the Kangxi Emperor’s Southern Inspection Scrolls, but other aspects of the painting’s style, such as the linear perspective and heightened realism, are a result of Western influences from Jesuit missionaries within the court. In this painting, the Emperor is shown inspecting the various flood-control measures along the Yellow River. This act demonstrates the Emperor’s knowledge and his investment in the prosperity of his people and country.
Title: The Qianlong Emperor’s Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll Six: Entering Suzhou along the Grand Canal
Artist: Xu Yang and assistants
Period: Qing Dynasty (1644–1911)
Date: 1770
Culture: China
Medium: Ink and color on silk
Dimensions: 27 1/8 in. x 65 ft. 4 1/2 in. (68.8 x 1994 cm)
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Purchase, The Dillon Fund Gift, 1988 (1988.350a–d)
Credit: Images © The Metropolitan Museum of Art
This scroll portrays the emperor’s arrival in the city of Suzhou, where he is greeted by his subjects. The Emperor, who is depicted on a white horse, is made larger than the other figures in the painting, a stylistic choice that was also used by Wang Hui for the Kangxi Emperor’s inspection tour. This piece has other elements pulled from Wang Hui’s traditional Chinese painting methods, but also utilizes the Western linear perspective. This illustration depicts a bustling environment as the Emperor enters the city of Suzhou, with vibrant colors against a blue and green landscape. With homes, shops, and gardens, this illustration depicts daily activities and life within the city. The Emperor’s lavish entrance with his attendants and hordes of people to greet him seems to prove his popularity and the respect he commands.
Recommended Reading
Delbanco, Dawn. 2019. “Chinese Handscrolls.” Metmuseum.org. 2019. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/chhs/hd_chhs.htm.
This source does an excellent job of explaining the general practices of handscroll viewing as well as an in-depth description of the individual experience. It helps to provide some insight into how handscrolls are viewed and how they can act as documentation of history.
Yan, Aibin, and Shiyi Zhu. “Spatialization of Imperial Power: Spatial Reconstruction and Power Operation of Jinshan Temple during the Southern Inspection Tours of Emperor Kangxi.” Religions 15, no. 1 (2023): NA. Gale Academic OneFile. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A780926529/AONE?u=connc_main&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=d8bc7b3d.
This source elaborates on how imperial power is represented in the Imperial Inspection Tour scrolls and evaluates other documentation of these inspection tours to better understand how these inspection tours unfolded and the effects they had.
Bibliography
Images
“Deutsch: Südreise Des Kaisers Kangxi (Querrolle Nr. 1).” 1691. Wikimedia Commons. 1691. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wang_Hui3.jpg.
“File:王翚等康熙南巡图卷.Jpg.” 2022. Wikimedia Commons. 2022. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%E7%8E%8B%E7%BF%9A%E7%AD%89%E5%BA%B7%E7%86%99%E5%8D%97%E5%B7%A1%E5%9B%BE%E5%8D%B7.jpg.
“The Kangxi Emperor’s Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll Three: Ji’nan to Mount Tai.” 2020. Metmuseum.org. 2020. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/49156.
“The Qianlong Emperor’s Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll Four: The Confluence of the Huai and Yellow Rivers.” 2022. Metmuseum.org. 2022. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/49251.
“The Qianlong Emperor’s Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll Six: Entering Suzhou along the Grand Canal.” 2021. Metmuseum.org. 2021. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/41493.
Texts
Brown, Claudia. 2020. “A Western View of Kangxi’s Travel to the South: Fragmentary Scroll Six of His Inspection Tour Series and Its Associations.” Sothebys.com. September 30, 2020. https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/a-western-view-of-kangxis-travel-to-the-south-fragmentary-scroll-six-of-his-inspection-tour-series-and-its-associations.
Delbanco, Dawn. 2019. “Chinese Handscrolls.” Metmuseum.org. 2019. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/chhs/hd_chhs.htm.
Nie Chongzheng. 2020. “An Imperial Commission for an Imperial Affair: On the ‘Kangxi Emperor’s Southern Tour’ Scrolls.” Sothebys.com. September 30, 2020. https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/an-imperial-commission-for-an-imperial-affair-on-the-kangxi-emperors-southern-tour-scrolls.
“The Kangxi Emperor’s Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll Three: Ji’nan to Mount Tai.” 2020. Metmuseum.org. 2020. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/49156.
“The Qianlong Emperor’s Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll Four: The Confluence of the Huai and Yellow Rivers (Qianlong Nanxun, Juan Si: Huang Huai Jiaoliu).” 2022. Metmuseum.org. 2022. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/49251.
Yan, Aibin, and Shiyi Zhu. “Spatialization of Imperial Power: Spatial Reconstruction and Power Operation of Jinshan Temple during the Southern Inspection Tours of Emperor Kangxi.” Religions 15, no. 1 (2023): NA. Gale Academic OneFile. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A780926529/AONE?u=connc_main&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=d8bc7b3d.
