This album consists of five paintings by Zhang Hong (張宏) and five works of calligraphy by Shen Yongmao (申用懋), one accompanying each painting. A painter of the Wu School during the latter part of the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Hong was born in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.
Having studied the painting style of Shen Zhou (沈周, 1427-1509), Zhang Hong displayed outstanding capacity in landscape paintings and produced a large number of landscape paintings depicting the actual scenes of celebrated sites.
This album, which contains paintings of Taoyuandong (the Taoist utopia of peach blossoms), Zuiwengting, Taoliyuan, Dongting Lake and the Former Red Cliff, and other scenes, is presumed to be of landscape paintings representing the actual scenes of noted sites produced by Zhang Hong himself.
With the increased popularity of traveling through areas of scenic beauty and historical interest during the period of time in which Zhang Hong painted, a great quantity of actual landscape paintings were produced. Furthermore, Shen Zhou also painted scenes of popular sites, such as the Album of Twelve Scenes (吳門十二景冊), to compile his own painting album. This is presumed to have influenced Zhang Hong in his attempt to paint such works for this album. Zhang Hong's painting style influenced the painting style displayed by Shen Zhou.