Orchids

Many aspects of Wang Jinglian’s life are unclear. Even her proper name is uncertain. She is, however, best known by her studio name, or zi, Yun Xiang. Whether or not Yun Xiang became a Daoist nun early in life or turned to Daoism in middle age, she eventually established and served as the abbess of a convent near her birthplace in Jiangxi province. Although some accounts claim that she lived a life of refined seclusion in the convent, other sources report her fame as a courtesan who chanted poems with noted scholars and laughed and drank without regard for decorum.

Historically, convents were havens or a variety of women, from the pious devotee, to widows and divorcees without family, to more liberal-minded women who wished to live outside the constraints of society. Yun Xiang was widely admired by many learned men, but in time, according to one source, she was cheater by "an eminent individual" and ill-used by a "frivolous youngster," becoming so distraught that one night she hanged herself.

Yun Xiang excelled in the "Three Accomplishments"—poetry, calligraphy, and painting—all of which are beautifully represented in this hand scroll, which consists of four sections depicting orchids sprouting in different settings. The spatial ambiguity of the composition—oftentimes the ground line is undefined—together with the wet, spontaneous, and fanciful brush strokes suggest a spirit of playfulness. Indeed, Yun Xiang toys with the metaphorical implications of the orchid, which symbolizes both the Confucian gentleman and the beauty of a sophisticated courtesan. Not only did she intend her orchid painting to symbolize her erudite client, reflect her own elegance, and serve as a kind of document ensuring her continued protection, but she also composed it as a tantalizing memento of shared intimacies.