Like a reclusive artist itself, this painting has not been publicly exhibited for more than 20 years.

Other key exhibits are created by household names from Chinese history, like Wen Tianxiang, the Southern Song general who showed his loyalty and strong spirit in fighting until the final years of the dynasty.

Being a member of the literati, who could retreat from worldly noise, became the ultimate goal for many rulers, as this exhibition shows. When Zhu Youjian, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), wrote three words si wu xie ("mind remains innocent") on a giant paper, he might have truly wanted to forget the social crisis that marred his reign and regain inner peace.

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