Chinese Horse Painting

Apart from the functions of military and transportation, the horse has also played a significant role in sports. One thousand year ago, hunting, horse performances and polo matches were already popular activities in the Tang dynasty. The horse, due to its close relationship with mankind, became an important theme of Chinese literature and arts. Artists in the past centuries have left us plenty of fascinating relics and paintings of horse and this exhibition will feature some of them。

Bones of horses dating back as far as the late Neolithic Age (c. 2500-1500 BC) have been found at a number of archaeological sites in China. Several sacrificial pits containing the remains of chariots and horses excavated at Anyang, capital of the Bronze Age Shang dynasty (c.16th-11th century BC), suggest that horses were domesticated, and sophisticated techniques for mastering horse-drawn carriages were developed more than 3,000 years ago. In the pre-Qin period (before 221 BC), chariots were used by aristocrats as a means of transport, for waging war and as symbols of high social status. Lifelike figures of riders and saddled horses in the Terracotta Army unearthed from the mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang (r.221-210 BC) clearly indicate the contemporary features of the horsemen and their warhorses.

Cavalry became increasingly important during the Qin and Han dynasties in the defence against the southern advances of the nomadic Xiongnu people. To improve the quality of its horses, Emperor Wu (r. 141-87 BC) of the Han dynasty imported fine steeds from the Western Regions, while equine models, or “mashi”, were manufactured as standards on which the horses were selected. Eventually, with the help of its cavalry, the Han empire gained control over the Western Regions. The popular Han dynasty belief in immortals led the fine steeds from the Western Regions to be considered divine beings, and they became known as “Tianma” (Heavenly Horses). There was also a popular belief in “Longma” (Dragon Horses). The number of bronze horses that have been unearthed all over China is evidence of the especially high demand for fine horses in that era.

From the Wei and Jin dynasties (220-420) onwards, the aristocratic clans who moved to southern China preferred to ride in carriages drawn by oxen; the days of excursions in horse-drawn carriages had passed. By the time of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (386-589), the Central Plains had been overrun by nomadic warriors from abroad. Warhorses of the period were clad in armour and with the appearance of stirrups and the improvements made to saddles, cavalry units became both swifter and more powerful. Large numbers of pottery figurines of warhorses in action have been found in tombs from this period. The Sui and Tang dynasties (581-907) saw China at the zenith of its power, with contacts between China and the outside world reaching an unprecedented level. It became fashionable in Chinese society to take up customs from foreign cultures, especially in horse-riding - an activity that became “de rigueur” for both male and female members of the nobility. They often went hunting and played polo, while performances of horse dancing were a feature of festivities at the imperial court. With its main attack force the light cavalry, the Tang army scored one victory after another in its wars against the turkic people of Central Asia, acquiring a fearsome reputation that spread far beyond China’s borders. Tang dynasty art that features horses, from paintings and sculptures to gold and silver implements and “sancai” ceramic figures, is very detailed and lifelike, and the artistic depiction of horses during this period reached a level that has never been paralleled.

The Mongols, a tribe of nomadic herdsmen who founded their nation in the northern steppes, were superb horsemen. Riding westwards across Asia as far as eastern Europe, their armoured cavalry conquered every nation and people in its path and established the great Mongol Empire that stretched across Eurasia. The Mongol rulers of the Yuan dynasty paid a lot of attention to the administration of horses and also pioneered a postal system that used courier horses to convey military orders and exchange information. In the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), the government set up many horse farms and encouraged commoners to breed horses, and officials made regular offerings to equine deities. Specialised books such as “Yuanheng Liaomaji” (The Yuan and Heng Brothers’ Compendium of Equine Medicine) and “Mashu” (The Book of Horses) collated the experience in equine medicine and husbandry gained during the preceding dynasties. Originating in Manchuria, the Manchus of the Qing dynasty were great horseback hunters. However, they prohibited commoners from breeding horses. During the reigns of the Kangxi and Qianlong emperors (1736-1795), Western missionaries were engaged as court painters: combining Eastern and Western techniques in their works, they gave rise to a whole new aesthetic of horses depicted in art. The middle of the 19th century saw the gunboats of the Western powers blasting open the once closed doors of the Qing dynasty. With mechanised guns dominating the battlefield, horses declined in importance, and they gradually ceased to be used in the military, in transport and in the lives of the nobility in China.

Featuring valuable artefacts and works of art, this exhibition presents various historical themes in Chinese equine culture, such as the evolution of horse tack, political developments, social life, religious beliefs and art, with the aim of providing visitors with a greater understanding of the relationship of horse with Chinese culture in different periods of time.