Detail from “Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains” by Huang Gongwang
The Wall Street Journal
July 30, 2010
By: Ting-I Tsai
China and Taiwan have tried to improve their relationships through everything from trade pacts to direct airline flights. Now, they are trying for unification—of a painting.
“Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains,” painted by Yuan Dynasty painter Huang Gongwang in the year 1350 was partly burned in 1650 and divided into two pieces for purposes of preservation.
The larger piece, more than six meters wide, is now held by Taiwan’s National Palace Museum, home to some 600,000 art pieces that were once the holding of China’s emperors. The other piece, only 51 centimeters long, is held by China’s Zhejiang Museum in the city of Hangzhou.
During Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s annual press conference in March, he specifically mentioned this painting to emphasize his hope for the reunification of Taiwan with China.
“I hope that one day the two parts of the painting will be put together again and I cherish the same wish not only for the painting but also for people on both sides of the Straits,” Mr. Wen said then.
