Xu Yang Pingding Jinchuan Battle Atlas – Suburb Workers

[Xu Yang Pingding Jinchuan Battle Album – Suburb Workers]

“Pingding Jinchuan Battle Album” – “Suburb Workers Workers”, Qianlong, Qing Dynasty, Xu Yang painted, paper based, colored, 55.5cm long, 91.1cm wide
On the upper part of the painting, Emperor Qianlong inscribed a poem with the following inscription: “Welcome General A Gui, General A Gui, and other soldiers to the suburban platform to sing ten triumphant songs.” The seal is “Qian” and “Long”, with the seal of Zhu Wenyuan and the seal of “Long”, with the seal of Zhu Wenfang. The initials are stamped with the seal of “Emperor Tai Shang”, Zhu Wenfang
This picture depicts the celebration of the soldiers returning to Beijing triumphantly to pacify Jinchuan. Suburb labor is a grand ceremony held by feudal emperors to welcome and comfort the soldiers who fought in battle. Emperor Qianlong was well aware of the role of suburban labor as a way to celebrate, reward, and inspire soldiers in battle. Therefore, the solemnity of its suburban labor ceremony and the perfection of its ceremony system have never been seen before, and they have been customized and recorded in the “Grand Ceremony of the Qing Dynasty”, making it a great event of the Qing Dynasty. The picture shows the 66-year-old Emperor Qianlong riding on a horse in full spirits, but before he has washed away the dust, soldiers and soldiers who have taken off their armor follow closely. The grand ceremony of suburban labor is about to be held in the sound of triumphant music. The whole picture is a meticulous heavy color painting, with realistic and vivid characters. Emperor Qianlong has the characteristics of a portrait painting. The delicate depiction of the trees, their vibrant and lush foliage, complements the warm atmosphere of the celebration
Jinchuan is located in the Jinsha River basin in Sichuan Province, and is a predominantly Tibetan settlement. The Qing government implemented the chieftain system here, under the jurisdiction of the Sichuan Governor and subordinate officials. In order to maintain peace, various chieftains often fought for population, land, wealth, and so on. Emperor Qianlong had to send troops twice to crusade against the warring Jinchuan and Xiaojinchuan. Between the 38th and 41st years of Qianlong’s reign (1773-1776), the Qing army, under the leadership of General A Gui of Dingxi and Deputy General Feng Sheng’e and Liang Liang, quelled the rebellion in Jinchuan for the second time. In order to commend the brave and tenacious fighting spirit of the soldiers and promote their martial arts, Emperor Qianlong ordered the court painter Xu Yang to paint a set of 16 pictures of the “Battle of Pingding Jinchuan” album, and also ordered a set of bronze prints to be carved as a memorial. The content depicted in the atlas basically conforms to historical facts, and therefore has extremely important historical data value