2-735-484 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Morning Sun over the Heavenly Citadel Peak, 1614. Clouds rise from Mt. Xuanhu, where the waters flow into the Luo River; the morning sun is over the Heavenly Citadel Peak of Mt. Huang. This alluring landscape with mythical connotations and auspicious meanings was intended as a birthday gift to its recipient. The mountains here are associated with the legendary Yellow Emperor and the Daoist idea of immortality. It was also believed that a numinous turtle emerged from the Luo River, transmitting the Luo shu to Cangjie, who invented Chinese writing.