Wei Jue (second from right), a high-ranking monk from Taiwan, receives an embroidery of The Drunken Beauty. Provided to China Daily |
The famous painting, The Drunken Beauty, demonstrates not only the charm of Chinese traditional culture, but also the characteristic of Shanghai style. A collection of modern poems published recently introduced the people, places, flavor and feelings of Shanghai style in words.
In addition to people such as Song Qingling, Lu Xun and Chen Yi, whom Shanghainese are proud of, and Shanghai landmarks such as the Bund, Huangpu River, Yu Garden and Jinmao Tower, famous paintings like The Drunken Beauty are also included in the collection.
A poet details how Yang Yuhuan, one of the four beauties of ancient China and who is portrayed in The Drunken Beauty, falls from the emperor's favor and is left deserted at the Baihua Pavilion. The poem is not as delicate as The Drunken Beauty, but it is rare that a poet especially writes a poem for a painting. The Drunken Beauty is obviously as much of an inspiration as it is a symbol and classic.
(China Daily 07/09/2010 page38)