W550 X H330mm, Chinese
Today you might have heard of Li Kai Shing or Jack Ma but first wealthiest man recorded in China history is Shen Wan San of the Ming dynasty. It is believed that his wealth has came from a treasure tray. One of the stories go like this; one day fisherman Shen got a large golden fish, the fish plead for its life. Shen let it goes and since then he had great harvest on every net and not only that, he netted a magic tray. One day, he accidentally dropped his ring inside the tray, when he tried to fish it out that came not one but numerous identical rings. Realizing that this is a magic tray, Shen accumulated a lot of wealth but instead of using it all on himself, he contributed it to improving his village. Years later, the embankment of the Yangtze River collapsed causing flooding to nearby town and villages. The emperor offered award the people who can stopped the flooding with a high position in the court, so Shen took the tray and went to see the emperor with the condition that the tray is to be returned after the problem is fixed. With the soil the tray generated, the embankment was fixed instantly, the happy Shen went to collect his tray. However, by now the emperor has seen the power of the tray, he had Shan arrested on the charge that all treasures belonged to the emperor and had Shan hanged for keeping the magic tray to himself.
Come to see the actual print and many others at the
New Year Print Exhibition
MOUNTAIN FOLKCRAFT
CHINESE WOOD BLOCK PRINT COLLECTION
Mountain Folkcraft 