Dozens of color frescos from the time of the Ming (1368-1644)
and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties have been found in Hua'an County of
Fujian
Province. Specialists say they epitomize traditional folk
painting around the upper reaches of Jiulong River.
The frescos were discovered in Nanshan Palace, a protected
cultural relic site, as local archeologists cleaned its walls and
ceilings in preparation for seeking national-level Cultural Relic
Protection status.
Elaborate scenes from famous stories are depicted, including
incidents from the Romance of Three Kingdoms (Sanguo
Yanyi), Women Generals of the Yang Family
(Yangmen Nu Jiang), Zhaojun Departs the Frontier
(Zhaojun Chusai) and Su Wu Tending Flocks (Su
Wu Muyang).
Some are of auspicious images such as of a phoenix amongst peony
flowers, carp leaping into a dragon's gate and Chinese unicorns,
called qilin.
Yet others portray ordinary people watching opera, playing with
babies, boating, plowing and reading. The colors are bright, the
compositions in an ancient style and the figures vivid.
Yang Yuzhu, a specialist from the State Administration of
Cultural Heritage, said after his investigation that the frescos
will provide important material for the study of ancient folk arts
in southern China.
Nanshan Palace, on the eastern mountainside of Nanshan in
Liangpu village, was built in 1275 during the Song Dynasty
(960-1279) as a Taoist building. Later dynasties restored it
several times, and the existing buildings are mostly from the Ming
Dynasty.
The palace, covering 160 square meters, was listed as a
provincial-level Cultural Relic Protection Unit in 1996. The
building imitated the Forbidden City's Hall of Supreme Harmony and
one of its most notable qualities is that its load-bearing column
was made of wood rather than stone or brick, yet still stands after
more than 700 years.
(China.org.cn by Chen Lin November 13, 2004)