Long March

Apart from his Mask series, landscape is one of the major themes in Zeng Fanzhi's artworks. When Zeng talked about his Landscape series, he said, "They are not real landscapes. They are rather about an experience of miao wu (marvellous revelation). Miao wu is different from knowledge; it is also irrelevant to rationality. It is a kind of inspiration and revelation. It brings forth a world that is deeply hidden in one's life, a world that is brand new and somehow familiar at the same time. Therefore, in this sense, miao wu reveals the inner soul hidden in the artistic true self – the world that it reveals is right there, both strange and surprising. Miao wu constitutes a restless journey of discovery." In Long March (Lot 265), the light of the dark and hazy forest on the left contrasts the white rice paper background on the right; the meandering branches echo each calligraphic brushstroke; touches of scarlet red and Prussian blue in the background extend the depth of mystery.

Long March


The Red Army fears not the trials of the Long March,
Holding light ten thousand crags and torrents.
The Five Ridges wind like gentle ripples
And the majestic Wumeng roll by, globules of clay.
Warm the steep cliffs lapped by the waters of Goden Sand,
Cold the iron chains spanning the Dadu River.
Minshan's thousand li of snow joyously crossed,
The three Armies march on, each face glowing.


Mao Zedong
Written in October 1935