Diagram, Drawing Art History, Graphic Life

As early as in the Neolithic Age,4000years ago, the rock paintings appeared to reflect the original agricultural production and living in China. A large number of illustrations which reflected the image of farming, mining mulberry, silk and other content had been painted in the Qin artifacts, Han Bricks, the Wei Jin tomb murals, and the Tang Song murals. These images were in fantastic variety, but they did not have the characteristics of agricultural nature, can only be deemed as the works depicting the agricultural production and life. Until the birth of the Lou Shu Gengzhi Tu in South Song Dynasty, it appeared the real illustration which depicted the ancient agricultural production and living. This illustration based on the farming and silk live in Jiangnan area of the South Song Dynasty, in the form of meticulous Chinese traditional realistic painting, vividly reshow the farming, planting mulberry, sericulture and silk life in Jiangnan region. The illustration is subtle in depicting and rich in content, has a moving appeal with the history of more than800years. It is well known not only in agriculture illustration art history, but even the illustrations in art history in China. The historical background, artistic features and historical value of this Work provide a large space for research. By studying this work, we are able to interpret a wonderful history of farming, sericulture and silk, understanding the requirements of rice production in Jiangnan season in the South Song Dynasty, as well as the farming characteristics, sericulture and silk t echnology; We can also restore the vivid scenes of life in South Song Dynasty, learning the wearing costumes and furnishing of ordinary people. And further more, study the basic characteristics of paintings in the Song Dynasty. At the same time, this illustration has great influence upon the work on similar theme later, such as the illustration work of art agricultural equipment in Wang Zhen’s book, Cheng Kai’s book about Farming and Weaving in Yuan Dynasty, the map of females’work in convenience compile in the Ming Dynasty, and the picture of farming and Weaving which is drawn by Jiaobing Zhen in the period of Emperor Kangxi in Qing Dynasty.