An Express Delivery from the Tang Dynasty

Intersecting with Eternity

 

Lao Shu 老樹 is the nom de plume of Liu Shuyong (劉樹勇, 1962-), a Beijing-based artist, writer, critic and professor in communications. His artistic voice is unique and personal, its tenor, whimsy and profundity evoke what for decades we have called The Other China — a cultural noosphere that is as undeniably local as it is universal.

As Lao Shu notes in a short colophon to a painting on the theme of spring, published in mid July 2024, he draws inspiration from his mind-travels in the landscapes of the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE). In speaking of ‘the Great Tang’ 大唐, perhaps Lao Shu is referring in particular to the ‘High Tang’ 盛唐, an unrivalled era of poetic creativity in the eighth century. See Lao Shu — roaming through Tang-Song landscapes with my Wei-Jin brothers, 13 July 2024.

In the following work, painted in the early northern summer of 2024 and published online in mid autumn, Lao Shu reports on an express package that he had received from the Tang.

This is a chapter in the series Intersecting with Eternity.

— Geremie R. Barmé
Editor, China Heritage
18 September 2024
The day after Mid Autumn Festival

Published by Lao Shu on 14 September 2024

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I received an express package from an old friend in the Tang Dynasty. The accompanying note said,

‘I know you’re busy and that painting is a taxing business so,
Since they’re always in your thoughts,
I’ve sent a parcel of our Mountains and Rivers.
They’ll be there whenever you need them,
Just be sure to look after yourself.’

— painting and inscription by Lao Shu
early summer, Jiachen Year of the Dragon

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More Lao Shu in China Heritage: