Windblown bamboo

Yang Han

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Backed by a waterfall and a cliff, stalks of bamboo shake in a violent wind. This powerful image was painted by Yang Han, an obscure artist from Shandong Province who was active during the early Qing dynasty. Images of windswept bamboo were often associated with “loyalist” (yimin) painters—those who refused to serve the non-Chinese rulers of the newly established Qing dynasty. In bamboo, whose flexibility allowed it to bend without breaking, loyalists saw a powerful symbol of quiet resistance.

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