Playing a Board Game in a Summer Garden

Here, two young ladies are playing a board game at a stone table in a garden. Their hairdos, ornaments, robes, and shawls are painted in detail with delicate brushwork, deriving from the classical gongbi style that features meticulous brushwork to show precise details. The surrounding bamboo, banana trees, and rocks not only suggest the elegant setting of a private garden, but also mark the season.

Playing board games and zither, along with practicing calligraphy and painting, were known as the “four accomplishments” (siyi), traditionally affiliated with educated male elites. Although girls could not go to school like boys, those born to wealthy families had the privilege of a private education at home, from which they could learn how to practice these skills.