XU BEIHONG (1895-1953)

NOTE:
The work is dedicated to Zheng Zemin (1887-1959), a Malaysian wine merchant from Kuala Lumpur, whose ancestral home is Shantou, Guangdong Province. He was a good friend of Xu Beihong at that time and was gifted several works. Since Zheng Zemin was the third eldest in the family, Xu Beihong called him “Zemin third brother.” Zheng later became the president of the first Chinese school to resume classes after the war in Selangor. He also helped raise funds as a founding member of the Nanyang University. Zheng was widely regarded as an important figure in the Malaysian-Chinese community.
In Horse Drinking, the horse stands in the lush grass and leisurely drinks from the stream in the spring breeze. Xu Beihong stated that he painted wild horses without any saddles or reins; they either bow down to drink water or gallop freely in the wild. In the context of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Xu Beihong’s horses more or less symbolize the hope that the Chinese people would regain their freedom. As a gift to a close friend in the South Sea region, the painting also implicates the idea of not forgetting one’s origin.
(For the relationship between Xu Beihong and Zheng Zemin, and Zheng’s collection of Xu Beihong’s works, please refer to Li Hongzhao’s article Zheng Zemin and Xu Beihong, published in Shantou Daily on 22 April 2018)