Seven Sages of Bamboo Grove

Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove is an iconic story that fascinated generations of artists and poets since the third century. Living in a time of political upheaval, this group of seven intellectuals developed unrestrained lifestyles and chose to distance themselves from governmental services. These recluses often gathered in a bamboo grove near Nanjing (in south-central China) and engaged in Daoist-inspired discussions, drinking wine, compiling poetry, and playing music.

A Buddhist devotee, the artist Xia Jingshan started painting at the age of sixteen and mastered the genre of classical subjects in which historical figures were usually placed in a traditional landscape with religious elements. Here, he uses a bamboo grove as an integral element to highlight the practice of literati self-cultivation in the wilderness. Bamboo also plays an important role in symbolizing the spiritual intimacy between humans and nature.