Illustration by Command In brief Date - 23 September 2025Venue - Room 9.18, 40 George SquareSpeaker - Dr Michael Schimmelpfennig (Australian National University)Title - Illustration by Command: Men Yingzhao's (1736- ca.1795) Overhaul of Xiao Yuncong's (1596-1673) Lisao with Illustrations Under the Qing Emperor Qianlong About the eventThe illustration of poems in the Songs of Chu began, if not earlier, during the Song dynasty. Our knowledge of the existence of many illustrated works extends far beyond the surviving examples. In his famous bibliography Five Kinds of Book Lists to the Songs of Chu, Jiang Liangfu (1902-1995) distinguishes four kinds of illustrated works.Firstly, works in fine calligraphy, which are considered works of art rather than standard editions. Second, works with illustrations such as portraits of Qu Yuan or of poems such as the "Nine Songs" or "Questions to Heaven". Third, works with maps tracing Qu Yuan's wanderings. And fourth, works with miscellaneous illustrations such as constellations, fragrant plants, or festivities.To explore the question of illustration as a mode of commentary, the present contribution compares the relationship between text and illustrations in two works belonging to Jiang's second and possibly fourth group: the Lisao with Illustrations by the late Ming scholar and famous landscape painter Xiao Yuncong (1596-1673) and the Supplementary Illustrations to Lisao with Illustrations by Imperial Command commissioned by emperor Qianlong (r. 1735-1799).Xiao had prepared illustrations to several chapters of the Chuci and included explanations of their intent. Qianlong admired Xiao' s work. He commissioned the court painter Men Yingzhao to illustrate the supposedly missing chapters, including illustrations for the Lisao.What sets both works apart is their delicate relationship. Xiao's work is a late Ming compilation by a Ming loyalist described as diligent and succinct in preserving the grievance underlying the poems in his drawings. Men Yingzhao's work, on the other hand, walks the fine line between re-composition and interpretation under expectations and demands of emperor Qianlong and more broadly, Qing orthodoxy.About the speakerMichael Schimmelpfennig is a Senior Lecturer in Traditional Chinese Studies at the Australian NationalUniversity. Before moving to Canberra, he taught at the Universities of Heidelberg, Erlangen-Nuremberg,and Frankfurt am Main.He considers himself a sinologist in the traditional sense. His research interests include:Chinese archaeologyEarly traditional Chinese literature and poetry, particularly the history of textual reception and commentary-based interpretationChinese conceptual ideas with an emphasis on those concerning human relationships within and outside the family in China's past and presentThe possibilities of computational analysis of large corpora of traditional Chinese texts, especially the application of algorithms in the analysis of multi-layered texts (i.e., texts with multiple commentaries).How to attendThis event is open to all, and free to attend. No registration is required, just come along on the day.Are you interested in studying with us?We are the only university in Scotland to offer full undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes in both Chinese and Japanese, as well as postgraduate programmes in Korean Studies and East Asian Studies. Find out more about Asian Studies at Edinburgh Tags Asian Studies Sep 23 2025 16.15 - 17.45 Illustration by Command An in-person lecture by Dr Michael Schimmelpfennig (Australian National University) about Ming and Qing visual commentaries on illustration, calligraphy, maps, all against the backdrop of case study, 'Lisao with Illustrations'. Room 9.18 40 George Square University of Edinburgh EH8 9JX Find the venue: 40 George Square
Illustration by Command In brief Date - 23 September 2025Venue - Room 9.18, 40 George SquareSpeaker - Dr Michael Schimmelpfennig (Australian National University)Title - Illustration by Command: Men Yingzhao's (1736- ca.1795) Overhaul of Xiao Yuncong's (1596-1673) Lisao with Illustrations Under the Qing Emperor Qianlong About the eventThe illustration of poems in the Songs of Chu began, if not earlier, during the Song dynasty. Our knowledge of the existence of many illustrated works extends far beyond the surviving examples. In his famous bibliography Five Kinds of Book Lists to the Songs of Chu, Jiang Liangfu (1902-1995) distinguishes four kinds of illustrated works.Firstly, works in fine calligraphy, which are considered works of art rather than standard editions. Second, works with illustrations such as portraits of Qu Yuan or of poems such as the "Nine Songs" or "Questions to Heaven". Third, works with maps tracing Qu Yuan's wanderings. And fourth, works with miscellaneous illustrations such as constellations, fragrant plants, or festivities.To explore the question of illustration as a mode of commentary, the present contribution compares the relationship between text and illustrations in two works belonging to Jiang's second and possibly fourth group: the Lisao with Illustrations by the late Ming scholar and famous landscape painter Xiao Yuncong (1596-1673) and the Supplementary Illustrations to Lisao with Illustrations by Imperial Command commissioned by emperor Qianlong (r. 1735-1799).Xiao had prepared illustrations to several chapters of the Chuci and included explanations of their intent. Qianlong admired Xiao' s work. He commissioned the court painter Men Yingzhao to illustrate the supposedly missing chapters, including illustrations for the Lisao.What sets both works apart is their delicate relationship. Xiao's work is a late Ming compilation by a Ming loyalist described as diligent and succinct in preserving the grievance underlying the poems in his drawings. Men Yingzhao's work, on the other hand, walks the fine line between re-composition and interpretation under expectations and demands of emperor Qianlong and more broadly, Qing orthodoxy.About the speakerMichael Schimmelpfennig is a Senior Lecturer in Traditional Chinese Studies at the Australian NationalUniversity. Before moving to Canberra, he taught at the Universities of Heidelberg, Erlangen-Nuremberg,and Frankfurt am Main.He considers himself a sinologist in the traditional sense. His research interests include:Chinese archaeologyEarly traditional Chinese literature and poetry, particularly the history of textual reception and commentary-based interpretationChinese conceptual ideas with an emphasis on those concerning human relationships within and outside the family in China's past and presentThe possibilities of computational analysis of large corpora of traditional Chinese texts, especially the application of algorithms in the analysis of multi-layered texts (i.e., texts with multiple commentaries).How to attendThis event is open to all, and free to attend. No registration is required, just come along on the day.Are you interested in studying with us?We are the only university in Scotland to offer full undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes in both Chinese and Japanese, as well as postgraduate programmes in Korean Studies and East Asian Studies. Find out more about Asian Studies at Edinburgh Tags Asian Studies Sep 23 2025 16.15 - 17.45 Illustration by Command An in-person lecture by Dr Michael Schimmelpfennig (Australian National University) about Ming and Qing visual commentaries on illustration, calligraphy, maps, all against the backdrop of case study, 'Lisao with Illustrations'. Room 9.18 40 George Square University of Edinburgh EH8 9JX Find the venue: 40 George Square
Sep 23 2025 16.15 - 17.45 Illustration by Command An in-person lecture by Dr Michael Schimmelpfennig (Australian National University) about Ming and Qing visual commentaries on illustration, calligraphy, maps, all against the backdrop of case study, 'Lisao with Illustrations'.
