Jin Nong (1687–1763), a native of Hangzhou, was born outside Houchao Gate by the Qiantang River in the 26th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing dynasty. He passed away in Yangzhou in September in the 28th year of the Qianlong reign and was buried the following year at Huanghe Hill in Linping. Known by the courtesy name Shoumen and the literary name Mr. Dongxin, he also used numerous sobriquets and stood as a central figure among the “Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou,” a trailblazer of stele-school calligraphy, and a key innovator who explored the boundaries of literati painting.

At seventeen, Jin Nong began his study of poetry, and later gained recognition in the Jiangnan district for his mastery of poetry. He was recognized early by literary masters Mao Qiling and Zhu Yizun, and later studied under the renowned scholar He Zhuo. In early Qing dynasty, the revitalization of epigraphy and the emergence of the stele school diversified the calligraphic field long dominated by the model-book tradition. Jin Nong’s diverse calligraphy styles rooted in clerical script, developing a style both pure and incisive. His most celebrated creation, the “Lacquer Script,” reveals his versatile and creative aesthetics. After fifty, he began to paint seriously. His brushwork was instantly imbued with classical elegance, shedding all formulaic painterly conventions. His paintings—of bamboo, plum blossoms, horses, Buddha figures, landscapes, and flowers—often include long inscriptions, reflecting his deep literary cultivation that imbued his paintings with richer meaning and intellectual resonance.

In midlife, Jin Nong relocated to Yangzhou, though he traveled widely across the land. His friend Liu Zhongyi inscribed a portrait of the forty-seven-year-old Jin Nong: “Half a life by boat, hoof, and wheel—his poetic fame spreads like spring across the land.” In Yangzhou, he forged close ties with painters Gao Xiang, Wang Shishen, and Zheng Banqiao, and with literati such as Li E, Hang Shijun, Quan Zuwang, and Yuan Mei. He joined elegant gatherings hosted by Salt Commissioner Lu Jianzeng alongside the Hongqiao Bridge and by the Salt Merchants Ma brothers (Ma Yueguan and Ma Yuelu) at the Xiaolinglong Hill Villa.

At fifty, he was recommended for the prestigious Boxue Hongci imperial examination but was not selected, remaining a commoner throughout his life. Torn between reclusion and public service, he lived amid the commercial bustle of Yangzhou yet longed for “A Reclusive Spirit Amid the Mundane.” Though he made his living through selling paintings, his works were infused with epigraphic vigor, literary depth, and a distant, solitary grace, inspiring later masters such as “Shanghai School” leading figures Zhao Zhiqian and Wu Changshuo and the modern artist Qi Baishi.

“Jin Nong’s Art World” is the newest chapter in the Chinese Classics Exhibition Series independently curated by Zhejiang Art Museum, following exhibitions on Wang Duo, Fu Shan, He Shaoji, and Zhao Zhiqian—and marks the series’ first focus on an artist native to Hangzhou. Gathering more than 200 works and documents from 20 museums and art galleries across China, the exhibition is arranged into four sections: Painting, Calligraphy, Jin Nong and the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou, and Jin Nong’s Homeward Heart. It offers an overview of Jin Nong’s radiant artistic accomplishments and singular style, representing the most comprehensive and ambitious exhibition devoted to him in recent years. Through this exhibition, we offer renewed insight into the preservation, understanding, and creative transformation of China’s enduring cultural heritage, honor a great artist of his hometown and welcome the spirit of Mr. Dongxin back to the landscapes that shaped him.