This is an overview by Dr Yibin Ni on how the topic of ‘The Birthday Party of the Queen Mother of the West’ was depicted on Chinese artworks, from woodblock print during Ming dynasty to scroll painting and porcelains in Qing dynasty.

The ‘Eight Horses’ (Ba Jun Tu 八骏图) is a classic motif in Chinese art, especially prominent in ancient paintings. Its origins are closely tied to the legendary journeys of King Mu of the Zhou Dynasty (周穆王), who reigned around the 10th century BCE. According to The Tale of King Mu (Mu Tianzi Zhuan 穆天子传), ...

In Zhuangzi (庄子), an ancient Chinese text from the late Warring States period (476–221 BCE)  and one of the two foundational texts of Daoism, the Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu 西王母) was mentioned as a deity who ‘obtained the Dao (the Way)’. According to the Scripture of Great Peace (Tai...