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The Tale of the Curly-Bearded Fellow (Qiu Ran Ke Zhuan 虬髯客传) by Tang dynasty writer Du Guangting 杜光庭 recounts a vivid episode from the youth of Emperor Taizong, Li Shimin 李世民 (598–649). Set during the final years of the Sui dynasty—when warlords rose across a fractured empire—the story reflects the people’s longing for a leader who could restore peace and unify the realm.
Amidst this turmoil, a bold, rugged figure known as the Curly-Bearded Fellow (虬髯客) befriends Li Jing 李靖 and his wife, both of whom would later help establish the Tang dynasty. Upon hearing of the exceptional talent and charisma of Li Shimin, the Curly-Bearded Fellow expresses admiration and asks for an introduction. At the time, Li Shimin and Liu Wenjing, the magistrate of Jinyang, were secretly planning to overthrow the Sui regime. To avoid arousing suspicion, they often met under the pretext of playing weiqi (Chinese chess) at Liu’s residence.
Facilitated by Li Jing, Li Shimin meets the Curly-Bearded Fellow, and the two engage in a chess match charged with symbolic meaning. The guest boldly places four stones at the corners of the board and declares, ‘I claim all four directions!’—a metaphor for seizing control of the empire. Li Shimin, composed and strategic, places a single stone at the centre, calmly stating, ‘With one move, I secure the empire.’ His approach quickly dominates the board, prompting the Curly-Bearded Fellow to concede, recognising Li Shimin’s superiority and surrendering his own ambitions for the throne.
This scene—where a game of weiqi becomes a metaphor for political fate—was later adapted in the Ming dynasty by playwright Zhang Fengyi 张凤翼 into the historical drama The Story of the Girl Holding a Red Fly Whisk (Hongfu Ji 红拂记), which also drew on Poems of Origin (Benshi Shi 本事诗) by Meng Qi 孟棨.
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Acknowledgement: The story scene depicted on the porcelain ware displayed in this listing was first deciphered by Dr <a href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/about-us/dr-yibin-ni/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yibin Ni</a>.
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Other stories scenes from The Story of the Girl Holding a Red Fly Whisk:
<a href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/figures-stories/when-red-fly-whisk-fell-head-over-heels-for-the-scholar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">When Red Fly Whisk Fell Head over Heels for the Scholar</a> 张娘心许
<a href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/figures-stories/curly-bearded-fellow-going-overseas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Curly-bearded Fellow Going Overseas</a> 虬髯客掷家图国

A single chess play that claims victory

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The Hundred Children motif (百子图) represents the most elaborate and auspicious extension of the broader <a href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/motifs-symbols/children-at-play" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Children at Play</a> theme in traditional Chinese art. While both motifs depict scenes of children engaged in lively and joyful activities—such as kite-flying, lion dancing, and mimicking adult roles—the defining feature of the Hundred Children composition is its scale, narrative structure, and symbolic intensity.
Unlike smaller portrayals of a few children at play, Hundred Children scenes typically feature dozens of children—sometimes literally a hundred—engaged in coordinated yet playful acts, often within palace gardens or festive settings. These grand compositions became especially prominent in decorative arts of the Ming and Qing dynasties, appearing on porcelain, lacquerware, silk tapestries, and marriage furnishings.
The motif draws inspiration from a legendary tale recorded in Liexian Zhuan (列仙传), a Han dynasty compilation of biographies of immortals, which states: ‘King Wen of Zhou had a hundred sons, all of whom attained immortality’ (周文王有百子，皆得仙道). This idea was echoed in later encyclopaedic works such as the Taiping Yulan (太平御览), which further emphasised the symbolic connection between King Wen’s lineage and idealised prosperity: ‘Seventy of them served as ministers’ (七十子受命为卿士). Though not historically factual, this legend became a powerful emblem of dynastic flourishing and ancestral abundance.
In this context, the Hundred Children motif came to embody not merely the charm of childhood, but the Confucian aspiration for a thriving lineage, continuity of family virtues, and multigenerational harmony.
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scene description by <a href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/about-us/rachel-ma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rachel Ma</a>
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Related Motifs &amp; Symbols
<a href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/motifs-symbols/grape" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grape</a> 葡萄
<a href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/motifs-symbols/may-the-male-line-in-your-family-clan-continue-and-flourish-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May the male line in your family clan continue and flourish (pictorial allusion)</a> 瓜瓞绵绵
<a href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/pun-pictures/may-you-have-as-many-male-offspring-as-a-pomegranate-has-seeds/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May you have as many male offspring as a pomegranate has seeds</a> 榴开百子

Hundred Children

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Children at Play is a classical motif in traditional Chinese art, portraying lively scenes of children engaged in games and daily amusements. These depictions often feature children flying kites, kicking balls, turning somersaults, enjoying lanterns, performing lion or dragon dances, tending flowers, playing with birds and animals, or mimicking adult roles such as scholars, officials, or ceremonial attendants.
This motif can be traced back to the Warring States period and gained prominence during the Song dynasty. It reached a refined artistic height under painters like Su Hanchen—his celebrated work Children Playing in an Autumn Garden exemplifies the genre. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the theme flourished in decorative arts such as porcelain, lacquerware, and embroidery, especially for festive occasions like weddings, birthdays, and Lunar New Year celebrations.
Beyond its charming portrayal of childhood, this motif also conveys auspicious meanings. One of the most iconic is the <a href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/motifs-symbols/hundred-children" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hundred Children</a> composition, symbolising Confucian ideals of a flourishing lineage and family prosperity. Many works also incorporate puns and visual metaphors, conveying blessings such as May you have continuous noble offspring (连生贵子), May you get promotion step by step (步步高升), and May everything goes as you planned (必定如意). These pun-based images will be explored further in dedicated entries on Tutuhaoyi.
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summarised by <a href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/about-us/rachel-ma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rachel Ma</a>
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Related Motifs &amp; Symbols:
<a href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/pun-pictures/may-you-have-three-successive-promotions-unexpectedly/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May you have three successive promotions unexpectedly!</a> 平升三级
<a href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/motifs-symbols/teaching-the-child/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Teaching the child</a> 课子图

Children at Play

game

chrysanthemum Qianlong porcelain bowl Tutuhaoyi

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Amitabha Pure Land Buddhism three Saints from West

Pictorial Presentation of Amitabha and the Two Assistant Bodhisattva

Hongwu porcelain ewer underglaze red Tutuhaoyi

Hongwu Porcelain – The Treasure in Ming Dynasty Founded by Zhu Yuanzhang

Guo Ziyi deterring enemy army without fighting Tutuhaoyi

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