This painting depicts the scenery around the Cha River, located to the south of Wuxing county, Zhejiang, and represents the confluence of the Dao, Yupu, and Xiao rivers which flow northeast into Lake Tai. The brushwork is dense and fine and the coloring subtle. In the lower area, several peach trees are in full bloom with dense branches and leaves. A recluse fishes on a skiff under a tree. Up the river, the thatched residence of the recluse nestles among the mountain trees. The paper of this painting has suffered abrasion, resulting in damage to the ink in the area of the willows. Although later remounted, the damage is still noticeable. The inscribed title in seal script and in four characters, “Recluse at Cha-hsi ,” was signed by Yu Quan, whose identity remains unknown. Judging from Wang Meng’s own inscription, however, this is probably an early work from the period before he became a recluse. Three versions of this painting are in the National Palace Museum collection. The compositions are exactly the same with only slight differences in the inscriptions.
