In Chinese art over the centuries, a large and diverse group of paintings have been done depicting the activities of fishermen and life in waterside villages. They range from small skiffs scattered on rivers and lakes with fishermen casting their nets in the early morning or evening mists to a solitary fisherman angling quietly alone, secluded deep among reeds or by the snowy bank of a cold river. There are also scenes of joyous fishermen seen getting together in boats to drink and chat in their spare time from fishing. These paintings on the theme of “fishing” not only vividly portrayed life and customs from the past but also could serve to express the emotions and aspirations of the artists who created them.
 
In order to explore their rich connotations, this special exhibition takes the “joy of fishing” as its core and divides these related works into two major categories. One is “The Joy of Life Among Fishermen,” in which painters capture the idealized work of fishermen on waters and their free and easy manner in daily life, fully conveying the aura of a simple lifestyle in the countryside. The second one is “The Joy of Literati Fishing in Reclusion,” this category in Chinese painting employing the fisherman image to project the elegance and desire to escape the mundane world shared by many lofty scholars in previous ages. These two completely different melodies on the “joy of fishing” allowed painters in the past to weave their visual tunes and flowing movements on water using brush and ink.
 
Now, at the end of the year and with the coming of a new one, the National Palace Museum hereby sincerely invites you to join us in roaming rivers and lakes on paper and silk, appreciate paintings in brush and ink, experience the deeper connotations of these artworks, and get to know a bit more about the unique joys of fishing in Chinese culture.