Yue Fei’s Mother Tattooed on His Back
This painting is a story from the Complete Biography of Yue Fei. After killing his rival in a martial-skill competition on the royal drilling grounds, Yue Fei went back home to Henan. Afterwards, Yue Fei’s name spread afar as a martial arts expert and strategist. One day, Wang Zou, a general from the rebellion army at Dongting Lake, came with gifts, asking Yue Fei to join them. Yue refused him, and then told his mother about this. The old lady prepared ink and a needle, and instructed Yue to kneel down. She tattooed the following words on his back: “Remain loyal to and die for the country.” Then, with tears in her eyes, the old lady pricked her son’s back and rubbed ink into the wounds. The words would stay forever. After she finished, Yue got to his feet and thanked his mother for her teaching. The stories of Yue Fei’s resistance against the Jin army were popular among Chinese folks, as is this story of his mother tattooing his back.
The Imperial Concubine’s Charms
This painting shows the famous imperial concubine Yang Yuhuan’s charms after her bath. After he succeeded in obtaining Yang Yuhuan, Emperor Xuan Zong conferred on her the title of highest-ranking imperial concubine. From then on he seldom attended court affairs, and stayed in his imperial harem for days on end. He often took his beloved concubine to a hot spring at the foot of Mount Lishan that boasted high-quality water. Whenever Yang Yuhuan bathed in the water there, her skin would feel wondrously tender and smooth. She was as fresh and beautiful as a lotus blossoming in the water. It is said that after her baths, Yang Yuhuan could put on one hundred different faces of charm.
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