以国画为窗，看中国历史——听高中组季军曲上分享她对中国历史的热爱！

My Love of Learning Chinese History

For every person, there is a unique way to connect with stories of the past. For me, it was Chinese traditional painting that led me into the lives of people before my time.

3 years ago, fascinated by the simplicity and elegance of ink water painting created with merely water and ink, I started to study Chinese traditional painting, and to my surprise, it has also inspired me to learn more about Chinese history.

A large part of studying Chinese painting is appreciating famous works by artists of the past. With great interest, I have learned about the biographies of different artists and their historical backgrounds. This has opened a door for me to learn more about the stories and the facts behind the paintings as well as the social conditions of that time. In return, I have not only gained an insight about the authors’ emotions and views about art and their time, but also further understood the connection between the past and the present.

People often say: “a picture is worth a thousand words”. By studying Chinese traditional painting, it is  not only arose my interest of learning about history, but also gave me some lively material to better understand what I have learned in my history textbooks. Take one of the most famous artworks “Along the river during the Qingming Festival” as an example, the picture depicts Kaifeng, one of the most prosperous cities of the Song dynasty. The artist’s detailed portrayal of the road scenes of the city on the right of the scroll as well as the crowded urban areas on the left reveals the different lives of people of different social status at that time, giving us a vivid picture of the period’s social customs, architecture, clothing and so on. These scenes ignited me to go back to books to dig more about the history of that time. 

In my opinion, the essence of history is the history of people. When immersing my heart to experience the delicate nuance in the tonality of black, gray and white and variations of ink strokes as well as spaces left untouched, I have established a connection between the past and the present. This connection has allowed me to capture the soul and spirit of our ancestors and to better understand the gorgeous Chinese history and civilization. Years later, I might not still remember the exact time of a history event. But I am sure each time that I press down the paintbrush, I will be able to experience the magic feeling of connecting with our country’s culture and history. Thank you for your listening!

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