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Ink Orchid
copy, after Zheng Sixiao
The artist Zheng Sixiao (1241-1318) used orchids as the emblem of patriotic devotion. In this dramatic ink painting, Zheng expresses anger at the Mongol invasion of China. The absence of earth in the painting symbolizes the Mongols' theft of Chinese lands, while the orchid itself represents Zheng's loyalty to the fallen dynasty. |