XU BEIHONG (1895-1953)
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Modern China
Chronology : 1938 1951
See also : Modern China
Chronology : 1938 1951
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Xu Beihong: A Psychological Portrait Through Life and Art
Xu Beihong (1895–1953), one of the most influential figures in modern Chinese art, was a painter, educator, and reformer whose life and work reflect a complex psyche shaped by personal hardship, national crisis, and an unyielding drive for renewal. Born into poverty in Yixing, Jiangsu Province, he learned traditional Chinese painting and classics from his father, a self-taught artist. Early losses—his mother's death, family financial struggles, and selling paintings as a teenager to support the household—instilled a resilient, determined personality. These experiences fostered a deep sense of duty and empathy for the suffering of ordinary people, evident in his lifelong patriotism and humanitarian actions, such as fundraising exhibitions during the Sino-Japanese War.
Psychologically, Xu exhibited traits of perseverance and idealism bordering on obstinacy. He was described as spurning fashion, rejecting superficial trends, and possessing a "sublime personality" marked by compassion. His advocacy for realism stemmed from a belief that art must reflect real life and serve society, subordinating technique to conception and personal experience. This pragmatic yet passionate outlook tied his art directly to his worldview: art as a tool for national revival amid China's early 20th-century humiliation.
His time in Europe (1919–1927), studying at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, profoundly influenced him. Facing economic hardships yet absorbing French academic realism, he rejected emerging modernism (criticizing artists like Matisse for "ugliness" and superficiality) in favor of rigorous drawing from life. This choice suggests a conservative streak psychologically—a need for structure, accuracy, and moral content in art, perhaps as an anchor against the chaos of his era and personal life.
Xu's personal relationships reveal emotional intensity and turmoil. His elopement with Jiang Biwei, complicated marriages, and affairs (notably with student Sun Duoci) point to impulsivity and inner conflict, contrasting his public discipline. Yet, these did not detract from his productivity; rather, they infused his work with raw emotion.
In his art, psychological depth manifests vividly. Famous for ink paintings of galloping horses—symbolizing freedom, strength, and indomitable spirit—these reflect his own resilient psyche and China's aspiration for renewal.
Horses often appear dynamic and unrestrained, embodying vitality ("qi") and patriotic fervor, especially during wartime. Works like Tian Heng and His 500 Followers or The Foolish Old Man Removes the Mountains convey themes of sacrifice and perseverance, mirroring Xu's belief in art's role in stirring compassion and national pride.
Portraits of Xu himself reveal a serious, introspective demeanor.
Overall, Xu Beihong's psychology can be seen as that of a reformer driven by trauma into optimism: resilient against adversity, empathetic toward the masses, rigidly principled in rejecting decadence, and visionary in fusing East-West traditions for a modern, realistic Chinese art. His legacy endures as a testament to art's power in personal and collective healing.
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Xu Beihong: A Psychological Portrait Through Life and Art
Xu Beihong (1895–1953), one of the most influential figures in modern Chinese art, was a painter, educator, and reformer whose life and work reflect a complex psyche shaped by personal hardship, national crisis, and an unyielding drive for renewal. Born into poverty in Yixing, Jiangsu Province, he learned traditional Chinese painting and classics from his father, a self-taught artist. Early losses—his mother's death, family financial struggles, and selling paintings as a teenager to support the household—instilled a resilient, determined personality. These experiences fostered a deep sense of duty and empathy for the suffering of ordinary people, evident in his lifelong patriotism and humanitarian actions, such as fundraising exhibitions during the Sino-Japanese War.
Psychologically, Xu exhibited traits of perseverance and idealism bordering on obstinacy. He was described as spurning fashion, rejecting superficial trends, and possessing a "sublime personality" marked by compassion. His advocacy for realism stemmed from a belief that art must reflect real life and serve society, subordinating technique to conception and personal experience. This pragmatic yet passionate outlook tied his art directly to his worldview: art as a tool for national revival amid China's early 20th-century humiliation.
His time in Europe (1919–1927), studying at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, profoundly influenced him. Facing economic hardships yet absorbing French academic realism, he rejected emerging modernism (criticizing artists like Matisse for "ugliness" and superficiality) in favor of rigorous drawing from life. This choice suggests a conservative streak psychologically—a need for structure, accuracy, and moral content in art, perhaps as an anchor against the chaos of his era and personal life.
Xu's personal relationships reveal emotional intensity and turmoil. His elopement with Jiang Biwei, complicated marriages, and affairs (notably with student Sun Duoci) point to impulsivity and inner conflict, contrasting his public discipline. Yet, these did not detract from his productivity; rather, they infused his work with raw emotion.
In his art, psychological depth manifests vividly. Famous for ink paintings of galloping horses—symbolizing freedom, strength, and indomitable spirit—these reflect his own resilient psyche and China's aspiration for renewal.
Horses often appear dynamic and unrestrained, embodying vitality ("qi") and patriotic fervor, especially during wartime. Works like Tian Heng and His 500 Followers or The Foolish Old Man Removes the Mountains convey themes of sacrifice and perseverance, mirroring Xu's belief in art's role in stirring compassion and national pride.
Portraits of Xu himself reveal a serious, introspective demeanor.
Overall, Xu Beihong's psychology can be seen as that of a reformer driven by trauma into optimism: resilient against adversity, empathetic toward the masses, rigidly principled in rejecting decadence, and visionary in fusing East-West traditions for a modern, realistic Chinese art. His legacy endures as a testament to art's power in personal and collective healing.
1920-1921 Sleeping Venus
2016 SOLD for HK$ 47M by Sotheby's
Son of an artist, Xu Beihong is fascinated since childhood by traditional Chinese graphic arts. He learns French in Shanghai and arrives in Paris in 1919 to study at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts. He is 24 years old.
In Paris, Xu is one of the first Asian artists and perhaps even the first Chinese artist to practice oil painting. He temporarily abandons the figurative Chinese themes to bring his personal vision of the ancient European painting. At that time his name is spelled Jupeon.
Xu rightly observed that Western mythology provides an excuse to show the nude in erotic positions. A Sleeping Venus, oil on canvas 62 x 95 cm painted in Paris in 1920-1921 and signed in Chinese, was sold for HK $ 47M from a lower estimate of HK $ 40M by Sotheby's on April 3, 2016, lot 1034.
The naked woman is lying on the grass in a lascivious attitude reminiscent of female positions by Courbet. The mythological inspiration for this ideal woman is confirmed by two little satyrs emerging away from a grove.
The mythological scenes painted by Xu in his Parisian period are extremely rare on the art market. A slave and lion of large size 123 x 153 cm painted in 1924 was sold for HK $ 54M by Christie's on November 26, 2006. This work anticipates the highly original specialization of the artist after his return to China, using animals for the expression of fiery sentiments.
The female nudes by Xu are also very rare and eagerly sought. In June 2010 in Beijing, a small auction house sold for the equivalent of US $ 11.2M the standing nude of a young woman thought to be Jiang Biwei who was Xu's wife in the 1920s. In September 2011, an artist recognized convincingly in this portrait a model who posed in the nude in a classroom in the 1980s.
Grok quote from an ArtHitParade tweet :
In Paris, Xu is one of the first Asian artists and perhaps even the first Chinese artist to practice oil painting. He temporarily abandons the figurative Chinese themes to bring his personal vision of the ancient European painting. At that time his name is spelled Jupeon.
Xu rightly observed that Western mythology provides an excuse to show the nude in erotic positions. A Sleeping Venus, oil on canvas 62 x 95 cm painted in Paris in 1920-1921 and signed in Chinese, was sold for HK $ 47M from a lower estimate of HK $ 40M by Sotheby's on April 3, 2016, lot 1034.
The naked woman is lying on the grass in a lascivious attitude reminiscent of female positions by Courbet. The mythological inspiration for this ideal woman is confirmed by two little satyrs emerging away from a grove.
The mythological scenes painted by Xu in his Parisian period are extremely rare on the art market. A slave and lion of large size 123 x 153 cm painted in 1924 was sold for HK $ 54M by Christie's on November 26, 2006. This work anticipates the highly original specialization of the artist after his return to China, using animals for the expression of fiery sentiments.
The female nudes by Xu are also very rare and eagerly sought. In June 2010 in Beijing, a small auction house sold for the equivalent of US $ 11.2M the standing nude of a young woman thought to be Jiang Biwei who was Xu's wife in the 1920s. In September 2011, an artist recognized convincingly in this portrait a model who posed in the nude in a classroom in the 1980s.
Grok quote from an ArtHitParade tweet :
- This 2016 X post by @ArtHitParade highlights the upcoming Sotheby's Hong Kong auction of Xu Beihong's rare early nude oil "The Sleeping Venus" (1920-1921), painted during his Paris studies and blending Western classical influences with Chinese ink traditions.
- Xu Beihong, a pioneer of modern Chinese art, created this reclining female figure inspired by Titian's "Venus of Urbino," marking one of his few nudes amid cultural taboos; it was gifted to colleague Wang Shikuo before resurfacing for sale.
- The painting fetched HK$46.68 million, exceeding low estimates and underscoring the booming 2010s market for Chinese modern masters, where Xu's works averaged 20-30% annual value growth per auction data.
1924 Slave and Lion
2006 SOLD for HK$ 54M by Christie's
Xu Beihong was a promising art educator of 24 when he won a Chinese government scholarship in Paris in 1919. He was altogether ready to discover and follow Western influences and willing to support the threatened condition of his home country at the time of the warlords. He was based in Paris for eight years during which he also travelled in Western Europe.
His major discoveries at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts were the oil painting, the mythological themes, the nude and the post-Romantic realism of the Orientalistes. He did not miss to send reports to Beijing University.
This approach was unprecedented for a Chinese artist. A very early example is a Sleeping Venus in the nude, oil on canvas 62 x 95 cm completed in 1921, sold by Sotheby's for HK$ 47M on April 3, 2016.
Xu's first empathy with a fully grown male lion was in 1922 at the Berlin Tiergarten. The king of animals was the perfect symbol of the popular Chinese spirit in the early years of the Republic, right and proud despite the wounds. Lion and horse will be Xu's preferred themes throughout the rest of his career.
Slave and Lion, oil on canvas 123 x 153 cm painted in the year 13 of the Republic, 1924 CE, is the masterpiece of Xu and of the new reciprocal influences of Chinese and Western art. It is highly rare because it was in 1941 among the 40 important oil artworks that Xu lost forever and believed destructed after the Japanese entered Singapore. It is one of very few that have resurfaced after his death.
The theme previously used by Gérôme is in the first act of the Roman fable of Androclus. The lion is back to its den with a bleeding wound at its paw. Unknown to the animal, a fugitive slave had taken this cave as a shelter. Xu managed a chiaroscuro effect between the very dark foreground with the frightened man and the bright light on the animal.
The end of the first act, not shown in the painting, is soothing. Androclus managed to remove the thorn. The grateful lion will in its turn save the man a few years later when condemned to the wild beast in the Roman Colosseum. Xu had indeed painted the theme of the force generated by a suitable association of two disabled characters who both had needed help. The lush landscape indeed symbolises the Chinese rebirth.
Slave and Lion was sold for HK $ 54M by Christie's on November 26, 2006, lot 181.
His major discoveries at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts were the oil painting, the mythological themes, the nude and the post-Romantic realism of the Orientalistes. He did not miss to send reports to Beijing University.
This approach was unprecedented for a Chinese artist. A very early example is a Sleeping Venus in the nude, oil on canvas 62 x 95 cm completed in 1921, sold by Sotheby's for HK$ 47M on April 3, 2016.
Xu's first empathy with a fully grown male lion was in 1922 at the Berlin Tiergarten. The king of animals was the perfect symbol of the popular Chinese spirit in the early years of the Republic, right and proud despite the wounds. Lion and horse will be Xu's preferred themes throughout the rest of his career.
Slave and Lion, oil on canvas 123 x 153 cm painted in the year 13 of the Republic, 1924 CE, is the masterpiece of Xu and of the new reciprocal influences of Chinese and Western art. It is highly rare because it was in 1941 among the 40 important oil artworks that Xu lost forever and believed destructed after the Japanese entered Singapore. It is one of very few that have resurfaced after his death.
The theme previously used by Gérôme is in the first act of the Roman fable of Androclus. The lion is back to its den with a bleeding wound at its paw. Unknown to the animal, a fugitive slave had taken this cave as a shelter. Xu managed a chiaroscuro effect between the very dark foreground with the frightened man and the bright light on the animal.
The end of the first act, not shown in the painting, is soothing. Androclus managed to remove the thorn. The grateful lion will in its turn save the man a few years later when condemned to the wild beast in the Roman Colosseum. Xu had indeed painted the theme of the force generated by a suitable association of two disabled characters who both had needed help. The lush landscape indeed symbolises the Chinese rebirth.
Slave and Lion was sold for HK $ 54M by Christie's on November 26, 2006, lot 181.
1932 Spring Mountain on a Donkey's Back
2010 SOLD for RMB 67M by Poly
A handscroll in color on paper 36.5 x 455 cm by Xu Beihong was inscribed and praised by his friend Qi Baishi in the renshen year of the sexagenary cycle matching 1932 CE. It is the unique handscroll executed by Xu in his three decade career.
It displays the wetland scenery of the Jinshan mountains as viewed by the artist during a very short visit. A man in ancient attire is riding a donkey at mid distance.
It was sold for RMB 67M by Poly on June 3, 2010, lot 2699.
It displays the wetland scenery of the Jinshan mountains as viewed by the artist during a very short visit. A man in ancient attire is riding a donkey at mid distance.
It was sold for RMB 67M by Poly on June 3, 2010, lot 2699.
1938 Water Carriers in Sichuan
2010 SOLD for RMB 170M by Hanhai
In 1937, after the capture of Nanjing by the Japanese, the Chinese government relocates in Chongqing in Sichuan. An unwavering patriot encouraging the heroism through his art, Xu Beihong moves to Chongqing in that year.
A scene of water bearers painted by Xu Beihong in 1938 in a bold vertical composition is located in that new wartime capital. Seven men in four groups draw the water and carry it to the top of the hill through steep stairs. This scene is displaying a traditional harsh activity in the then symbolic location of Chinese freedom.
This painting 300 x 62 cm in ink and color is titled Ba-ren-ji-shui (Water carriers in Sichuan). Its style is highly realistic both for the figures of the routine barefoot workers and for the mountainous scenery.
It was sold for RMB 170M by Hanhai on December 11, 2010. It is illustrated in the post sale report shared by Artron.
A new park is inaugurated in Chongqing in 2024 around the real location of Xu's Ba-ren-ji-shui. The stunning representation of the real stairs by the artist is demonstrated in the report shared by the city of Chongqing. The mighty waterfall had not been useful for Xu's social message and was omitted in his painting.
Xu created more than 300 artworks while he was in Chongqing from 1937 to 1946.
A scene of water bearers painted by Xu Beihong in 1938 in a bold vertical composition is located in that new wartime capital. Seven men in four groups draw the water and carry it to the top of the hill through steep stairs. This scene is displaying a traditional harsh activity in the then symbolic location of Chinese freedom.
This painting 300 x 62 cm in ink and color is titled Ba-ren-ji-shui (Water carriers in Sichuan). Its style is highly realistic both for the figures of the routine barefoot workers and for the mountainous scenery.
It was sold for RMB 170M by Hanhai on December 11, 2010. It is illustrated in the post sale report shared by Artron.
A new park is inaugurated in Chongqing in 2024 around the real location of Xu's Ba-ren-ji-shui. The stunning representation of the real stairs by the artist is demonstrated in the report shared by the city of Chongqing. The mighty waterfall had not been useful for Xu's social message and was omitted in his painting.
Xu created more than 300 artworks while he was in Chongqing from 1937 to 1946.
1939 Put Down your Whip
2007 SOLD for HK$ 72M by Sotheby's
Trained in Western art from 1919, Xu Beihong was back in China in 1927, from where he endeavored exporting to Europe an understanding of the Chinese culture.
From 1937 China and Japan went in total war in what was considered by the Chinese as a resistance against the Japanese aggression. Xu decided to travel the Southeast Asia where he managed exhibitions of his art to benefit the Chinese people suffering from the war.
He arrived in Singapore from Hong Kong in January 1939 with a thousand of his works and his collection of Western and Chinese paintings and antiques. He was also highly prolific to create new paintings and drawings for the same purpose.
The actress Wang Ying arrived in Singapore in September with a similar charity purpose by playing an anti-government street drama modified to become anti-Japanese, titled Put down your Whip.
Xu spent 10 days for executing a portrait of the smiling Wang stretching the red whip. The hyperrealistic life size image of the 26 year old kneeling actress is focused in front of a blurred back with street listeners looking at her.
This oil on canvas 144 x 90 cm was sold for HK $ 72M by Sotheby's on April 7, 2007, lot 29. In the public domain in China, this image is shared by Wikimedia.
Xu left Singapore for India shortly after. Wang played an English version of the same play in the White House for President Roosevelt.
From 1937 China and Japan went in total war in what was considered by the Chinese as a resistance against the Japanese aggression. Xu decided to travel the Southeast Asia where he managed exhibitions of his art to benefit the Chinese people suffering from the war.
He arrived in Singapore from Hong Kong in January 1939 with a thousand of his works and his collection of Western and Chinese paintings and antiques. He was also highly prolific to create new paintings and drawings for the same purpose.
The actress Wang Ying arrived in Singapore in September with a similar charity purpose by playing an anti-government street drama modified to become anti-Japanese, titled Put down your Whip.
Xu spent 10 days for executing a portrait of the smiling Wang stretching the red whip. The hyperrealistic life size image of the 26 year old kneeling actress is focused in front of a blurred back with street listeners looking at her.
This oil on canvas 144 x 90 cm was sold for HK $ 72M by Sotheby's on April 7, 2007, lot 29. In the public domain in China, this image is shared by Wikimedia.
Xu left Singapore for India shortly after. Wang played an English version of the same play in the White House for President Roosevelt.
1939 Miss Jenny
2011 SOLD for RMB 58M by China Guardian
The portrait of Miss Jenny, painted by Xu Beihong in 1939 while in Singapore, depicts a local Oriental beauty of Cantonese origin. She is seated with crossed legs in a rocking chair inside an indoor room with books on shelves. Her position and head are tilted in a style of European realism. She wears a full length dress. The sculpture of a figure riding a lion appears on the windowsill.
This oil on canvas 136 x 98 cm was sold for RMB 58M by China Guardian on November 16, 2011, lot 2136. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
This oil on canvas 136 x 98 cm was sold for RMB 58M by China Guardian on November 16, 2011, lot 2136. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
1942 Six Heavenly Horses
2018 SOLD for RMB 90M by Poly
The horse is the preferred animal theme of Xu Beihong, without bridle or saddle as a symbol of freedom in wildness, in a fair appreciation of anatomy and movement. He acknowledged in 1947 having sketched no fewer than a thousand of them.
A pair may be a symbol for the newlywed. A group of three features the variety of movement and stillness. A group of six refers to the Heavenly Horses legend from the Han, when the Wu emperor was dazzled by the purebred captured in a decisive battle.
The Six Heavenly Horses was painted by Xu in colors on paper 94 x 178 cm in the spring of the renwu year matching 1942 CE, just after he fled Singapore in war.
In a leap forward displaying lightness, grace, uprightness, and elegance, the six fantastic animals include five in the front row which are communicating to one another. All of them are varied and distinct in the heads, necks, torsos, hooves and tails. The artist calligraphed in the lower left corner the full poem by the Wu emperor.
In excellent condition with its fresh colors after being hoarded for decades in a tube by an East Asian art firm, it was sold for RMB 90M by Poly on June 17, 2018, lot 1714.
At the end of the same year, the artist executed a replica which is now kept at the Xu Beihong Memorial Hall.
A pair may be a symbol for the newlywed. A group of three features the variety of movement and stillness. A group of six refers to the Heavenly Horses legend from the Han, when the Wu emperor was dazzled by the purebred captured in a decisive battle.
The Six Heavenly Horses was painted by Xu in colors on paper 94 x 178 cm in the spring of the renwu year matching 1942 CE, just after he fled Singapore in war.
In a leap forward displaying lightness, grace, uprightness, and elegance, the six fantastic animals include five in the front row which are communicating to one another. All of them are varied and distinct in the heads, necks, torsos, hooves and tails. The artist calligraphed in the lower left corner the full poem by the Wu emperor.
In excellent condition with its fresh colors after being hoarded for decades in a tube by an East Asian art firm, it was sold for RMB 90M by Poly on June 17, 2018, lot 1714.
At the end of the same year, the artist executed a replica which is now kept at the Xu Beihong Memorial Hall.
1943 Standing Horse
2023 SOLD for RMB 59M by Poly
A single lot is made of three pieces executed by Xu Beihong.
The pair of square seals with flat knobs 3 x 3 x 7.4 cm each had been gifted to Chiang Kai-shek in the renshen year matching 1932 CE and were later preserved by Chiang's personal secretary Mao Qingxiang, who had been an acquaintance of the artist during his study years in France.
The ink on paper executed in 1943, 90 x 50 cm including the frame, is inscribed by Mao Qingxiang. It features a proud standing horse with its head turned to the left. In the same year Mao Qingxiang was appointed lieutenant general by Chiang.
The set was sold for RMB 59M by Poly on December 12, 2023, lot 2524.
The pair of square seals with flat knobs 3 x 3 x 7.4 cm each had been gifted to Chiang Kai-shek in the renshen year matching 1932 CE and were later preserved by Chiang's personal secretary Mao Qingxiang, who had been an acquaintance of the artist during his study years in France.
The ink on paper executed in 1943, 90 x 50 cm including the frame, is inscribed by Mao Qingxiang. It features a proud standing horse with its head turned to the left. In the same year Mao Qingxiang was appointed lieutenant general by Chiang.
The set was sold for RMB 59M by Poly on December 12, 2023, lot 2524.
1945 album of the Twelve Zodiac Signs
2010 SOLD for RMB 73M by Poly
The album of the Twelve Zodiac Signs is a one off in the whole career of Xu Beihong. He prepared it for the winter solstice of the yiyou year matching 1945 CE and presented it to his wife at the time of their divorce.
This set of 12 ink and color on paper 33 x 35 cm plus one page of text features the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac with wit and kindness in playful attitudes. Some of them are indeed the most frequent figures in Xu's animal art : the horse, the lion, the ox. The whole is a fair synthesis of the sketching techniques used by the artist.
The album was sold for RMB 73M by Poly on June 3, 2010, lot 2692.
This set of 12 ink and color on paper 33 x 35 cm plus one page of text features the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac with wit and kindness in playful attitudes. Some of them are indeed the most frequent figures in Xu's animal art : the horse, the lion, the ox. The whole is a fair synthesis of the sketching techniques used by the artist.
The album was sold for RMB 73M by Poly on June 3, 2010, lot 2692.
1951 Cultivation on the Peaceful Land
2011 SOLD for RMB 266M by Poly
Xu Beihong, like Zhang Daqian, would place his realistic art under the double influence of Chinese tradition and worldwide modernism.
An ink and colors on paper executed by Xu in 1951 is on the theme of the farmer and his plow pulled by a buffalo. The scene also includes two other field workers, a large tree and a text inspired by a poem of the Northern Song Dynasty.
This painting executed during the Korean War is political: it wants to show the farm work as a symbol of peace while reminding that it is necessary to feed the army. It had been offered to Guo Moruo (Kuo Mo-jo), then chairman of the Chinese section of the Peace Council.
This work of exceptional size, 150 x 250 cm, was sold for RMB 266M by Poly on December 5, 2011, lot 3413.
Grok thought from an ArtHitParade tweet :
An ink and colors on paper executed by Xu in 1951 is on the theme of the farmer and his plow pulled by a buffalo. The scene also includes two other field workers, a large tree and a text inspired by a poem of the Northern Song Dynasty.
This painting executed during the Korean War is political: it wants to show the farm work as a symbol of peace while reminding that it is necessary to feed the army. It had been offered to Guo Moruo (Kuo Mo-jo), then chairman of the Chinese section of the Peace Council.
This work of exceptional size, 150 x 250 cm, was sold for RMB 266M by Poly on December 5, 2011, lot 3413.
Grok thought from an ArtHitParade tweet :
- This 2011 post by @ArtHitParade reports the Poly Auction sale in Beijing of Xu Beihong's 1951 oil painting "Cultivation on the Peaceful Land" for RMB 266 million (about $36.7 million USD), marking a record for the artist and ranking sixth globally that year per Artprice data.
- Xu Beihong, a pioneering 20th-century Chinese artist, blended Western realism with traditional ink techniques; this large-scale work depicts rural harmony post-Chinese Civil War, symbolizing national renewal and contributing to his posthumous market surge in the 2000s.
- The sale highlighted China's booming art market amid economic growth, with Poly Auction dominating Asian sales; it underscored rising demand for modern Chinese masters, influencing later records like Zhang Daqian's works exceeding $50 million.
