Enlightening Pursuits Scholar's Objects from the Mengdiexuan Collection
Hardcover -384 pages
The pursuit of knowledge and wisdom by ancient Chinese scholars
manifested itself in various forms beyond the imagination of people in
today’s society. At the time when ancient scholars’ “ears are shut to
what goes on outside the window and are single-mindedly focus on the
classics”, the ideal state of their austere existence was the pursuit of
intellectual enlightenment and spiritual fulfillment. One can imagine,
any objects in their studios would reflect only their simple but elegant
taste. The exhibition “Enlightening Pursuit” features over 150
scholar’s objects that have been assembled by Mengdiexuan over years. It
is a collection based on personal preference for simplicity, love for
certain art form and designs. The article and all the entries in this
catalogue are written by Professor Sun Ji.