Inscription at Guangling Pier on a Bamboo Painting by Ex-Censor Fang

Inscription at Guangling Pier on a Bamboo Painting by Ex-Censor Fang

by Dong Qichang

Poem and painting merge as one on a lake vast,

Bamboo shoots sprouting here and there.

Dawn drizzle dampens Qiongshui Stream sails;

While Dragon's Offspring fresh sheaths wear.

In this poem, the Qiongshui stream flows through parts of Sichuan Province, and the "Drangon's Offspring" is a literary term for young bamboo.

Dong Qichang (1555-1636), a leading painter, calligrapher and poet in his time, achieved the “Jinshi” degree in the imperial examination during the Wanli reign (1573-1620) of Emperor Shenzong. He rose to become the Minister of Rites.