Couplet

Zhou Lianggong

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

You may have your method; As for me, I love my hut. This pithy verse by Zhou Lianggong may be taken as a mission statement for the recluse: regardless of what society may wish from you, inner peace is to be found at home, behind a closed gate, in a life of self-cultivation. In his lengthy career of service to the Ming and Qing dynasty governments, Zhou enjoyed great heights of success and suffered terrible depths of persecution, so his understanding of the appeal of withdrawal was well-earned.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art