Good News
Liu Yanchong 刘彦冲 (1809-1847).
Originally, his surname was Rong 荣 not Liu 刘. He was also known by his designated name Yongzhi 泳之.
He was born in Liangshan, Sichuan Province but moved to Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. Liangshan is
a mountainous region fed by several rivers. It is the home of the Yi minority. Suzhou, on the other hand
is known as one of the most beautiful towns in China. It is filled with gardens build by generations
of wealthy and powerful people who spent summers there. In China, a garden is apt to cover a small
mountain, and include pagodas, rock gardens, paths and vistas. We would be more likely to call it a park.
The town of Suzhou was built along canals and is compared to Venice, but the use of water for transportation
is really the only similarity. These two great landscapes influenced Liu Yanchong,
and he brings elements ofeach to his painting.
The scroll dates from the Qing period.