Heavenly Road, Crimson Gate: An Illustrated Scroll of Old Beijing Landscapes

Author: Liu Hongkuan
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-04-01
Features: A folk art scroll titled "Heavenly Avenue and Crimson Gate," praised by the historical expert Zhu Jianguo of the Palace Museum as "Heavenly Avenue and Crimson Gate." Liu Hongkuan spent five years painting it, and I spent five years looking at it, still feeling as if there was never an end to it. This meticulous ink painting masterpiece, depicting the folk customs and architectural complexes of early 20th-century Beijing, not only became the first long scroll in Chinese painting history to comprehensively reflect the cultural landscape of Beijing's central axis but also the longest in Chinese landscape painting, exceeding 50 meters in length and featuring over 5,000 characters and more than 100 buildings.
At 64, Beijing painter Liu Hongkuan was admitted to the Beijing Chinese Painting Research Institute during high school and is renowned for his large-scale meticulous works. He has been commissioned to create major paintings such as "Crane Dance in the Sky," "Oriental Lion," "Tiger Roams the Earth," and "Red Leaf and Peacock" for important venues like the Great Hall of the People, the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, Zhongnanhai, Tiananmen, and the Peking University Library in Harvard. Five years ago, a sudden inspiration kept Liu Hongkuan up at night. He immersed himself in historical records, rode an old bicycle through the streets, searched for remnants of old buildings, sketched, and took photos, delving deeply into the Beijing he once lived in. Over five years, he revised the work three times, pouring his heart into it.
Liu Hongkuan described his approach to the "Beijing Central Axis Landscape Scroll" as an innovative regional cultural research project. He said, "The more I painted, the more I realized that to fully capture the grandeur and intricacy of the ancient capital, I must innovate while exploring the cultural essence of our nation and the art of ancient architecture, only then can I depict the extraordinary 'Yellow Dragon' atmosphere of the central axis, which was once called the 'dragon vein.'" The scroll begins at the Yongdingmen Gate of the outer city, passes through the Wengcheng, and ends at the northern wall of the inner city. Along the way, landmarks like the Tianqiao Opera House, Qianmen Market, Zhengyangmen Gate, the Three Great Halls of the Forbidden City, and the Bell and Drum Towers—all symbols of Beijing's cultural and commercial heritage—are brought back to life in the artist's emotionally charged brushwork, weaving a harmonious and authentic social life. Historians call it a scroll that can be rolled into history.
The Three Great Halls of the Forbidden City, towering with dragon-carved pillars and golden eaves, are the most challenging yet most brilliant part of the painting. The majestic imperial architecture not only leaves viewers in awe but also captures the millennia of history etched into every ancient wall and brick, a sense of timelessness that lingers in his meticulous strokes. The 10-meter section from the Wumen jade belt bridge to Jingshan kept him restless for two years. Since the scroll focuses on architectural clusters and people, these repetitive elements made the creation more difficult. After careful consideration, he adopted a "one-much, one-few" contrast in depicting figures—using many figures to highlight the few. For example, the Qianmen Grand Bazaar is so crowded that hundreds of figures—some clear, some blurred, some indistinguishable—are packed into every square foot, while the only traffic officer in the entire scroll is at the Drum Tower Street intersection, diligently maintaining order.
To avoid monotony from the sheer number of figures, Liu reversed the traditional focus on facial expressions in figure painting, instead emphasizing the dynamic actions of each character to convey their emotions and thoughts. Whether it's a procession carrying a coffin, a bridal procession, vendors pushing carts, or people practicing martial arts, even the figures at the corner of the wall, though faceless, exude a sense of leisure, contemplation, or purpose. Even the hurried passerby stepping carefully down the steps of the Zhongneng Hall, lifting his robe and lifting one leg, seems as if he is walking through life. The residential and commercial buildings, with their rooms and courtyards nestled together, are so lifelike that every door seems inviting, every bench ready for sitting, every teapot ready for pouring, and every counter ready for business. The more easily overlooked, the more he refused to compromise.
Many Beijingers have forgotten these details that once stood on the streets: the massive two-meter-long cigarette pipe originally standing on Yanjia Xie Street, the public buses that needed help climbing hills, the flocks of Bactrian camels carrying goods, and the "Crime Willow" where the last Ming emperor, Chongzhen, hanged himself, locked with an iron chain. All of these are preserved in this scroll. In a flash, one sees a donkey cart covered in blue cloth in front of the "Three Gates," with the small donkey still patiently waiting at its historical spot, its right hind leg habitually moving—alive yet seemingly painted.
It is this past that makes the "Beijing Central Axis Landscape Scroll" so rich and vibrant. Discussing the creation of the scroll, Liu Hongkuan said his goal was to paint a Beijing with unique historical, cultural, and artistic value, making it the "root" of the new Beijing and allowing today's Beijingers to understand what their city once was, how beautiful and mysterious it was. The scroll begins with a sky and earth empty before entering the city, then depicts the prosperity left behind through dynastic changes, and ends with mountains and rivers beyond the gates. Only the history embedded within invites endless reflection. This philosophical composition reflects Liu Hongkuan's unique perspective on history and artistic interpretation.
After completing the masterpiece, he simply inscribed "Xinji Year, Mid-Summer, Hongkuan Painted" in clean calligraphy in the blank space, accompanied by two seals—one red, one white. True to his nature, he lives modestly and pursues art with integrity, seeking only to do his best. The meticulous ink painting scroll "Heavenly Avenue and Crimson Gate" by Liu Hongkuan of the Chinese Painting Research Institute is 53 meters long and 0.7 meters high, featuring over 5,000 figures and more than 100 buildings, depicting the cultural landscape of Beijing's central axis in the 1930s and 1940s. The scroll begins at the Yongdingmen Gate of the outer city, passes through the Wengcheng, and ends at the northern wall of the inner city. Along the way, landmarks like the Tianqiao Opera House, Qianmen Market, Zhengyangmen Gate, the Three Great Halls of the Forbidden City, and the Bell and Drum Towers—all symbols of Beijing's cultural and commercial heritage—are brought back to life in the artist's emotionally charged brushwork, weaving a harmonious and authentic social life. Historians call it a scroll that can be rolled into history.
The album is designed in a folded booklet style, faithfully reflecting the original work. The nearly 1-meter-high, 53-meter-long "Heavenly Avenue and Crimson Gate" is hailed as the "Qingming River Map of the 20th Century." The scroll, in the traditional style of landscape painting, depicts the bustling scenes of the "dragon vein" from Yongdingmen to Deshengmen in the early 20th century.