Embark on an extraordinary Journey through time and art with the New Zealand Premiere of A Dream Journey Through A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains. The Journey is a dynamic digital art Exhibition that reimagines one of China’s most celebrated cultural treasures.

You not only get to visualise it, but you can be a part of the whole experience, so you can touch the screens and the images and they will dramatically change before your very eyes. You can then photograph your changes and check with family or friends as to who has made the best original reimage!

This immersive event showcases the breathtaking masterpiece A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains, a long scroll of Danqing that is the only surviving work of Ximeng Wang, a prodigious painter from the Northern Song Dynasty. His work, a vivid depiction of China’s majestic landscapes, is considered a pinnacle of Chinese green-and-blue landscape painting.

You’ll be able to imagine yourself back in that classic period among classic ancient Chinese mountains and rivers. You’ll even be able to change the contours and details of the images under your hands and the ‘ground’ beneath your feet! Get you workmates, classmates, clubmates and friends to come and share the fun!

This Exhibition is the largest digital art experience ever hosted in New Zealand. Utilizing cutting-edge holographic projection technology on screens 46 x 3.5 metres, delivering an unparalleled visual and interactive journey, making the masterpiece come alive like never before.

The Masterpiece: A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains The original artwork, now housed in Beijing’s Palace Museum, is an expansive scroll measuring 51.5 cm tall and 1191.5 cm wide, painted with ink and mineral pigments on silk. Its breathtaking scenes of rolling mountains, vast rivers, and picturesque villages depict the diverse beauty of China’s geography. Key elements include: 

Majestic mountains and vast rivers: The painting captures the grandeur of nature with intricate detailing of cliffs, waterfalls, and winding paths leading to hidden retreats. Charming rural life: From fishing villages and waterside pavilions to thatched cottages and arched bridges, the scroll illustrates life in harmony with nature.  Meticulous brushwork and vivid colours.

The “blue and green” technique utilises vibrant pigments like azurite and malachite to create a layered, decorative effect. Each stroke is precise, from the tiny figures bustling with life to the rippling water patterns. Innovative composition. While grounded in traditional techniques, Ximeng’s meticulous style and vibrant creativity elevate this painting as a singular masterpiece.

The Yuan Dynasty calligrapher Pu Guang once wrote of the work: “In the small scenes of ancient and modern Danqing, you can stand alone for thousands of years, and you will be alone among the stars.”