An Apple application featuring the digital version of Gu Hongzhong's "Night Revels of Han Xizai" has been created in order to preserve the painting for the perusal of future generations.
The "Night Revels of Han Xizai," one of the most popular paintings housed at the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City in Beijing, is considered a perfect specimen in studying the history of Chinese art.
Gu Hongzhong portrayed a family banquet from the house of Han Xizai, one of the ministers of the Southern Tang Emperor.
He had wowed generations of Chinese art-lovers with his vivid depiction and elegant technique in painting on long scrolls as he divided his medium and created five related scenarios in one artwork.
Coming from the Five Dynasties and Ten States period between 907 and 979, preserving such artifact had proven to be a challenge for the museum's curator because of its age.
Because of this, very few audiences were allowed to personally see the paintings for fear of further deteriorating the one-of-a-kind piece of art.
As a solution to the preservation dilemma, the museum decided to release a soft copy, or a digital version of the painting, through a free application which can be downloaded from the Apple app store.
Aside from showcasing paintings in high resolution, the app also features over 100 notes and academic commentaries incorporated into its interactive design, allowing its users to get a closer look at the ancient art even without actually seeing it.
The app also comes with 18 video clips including the Taiwanese classic music and dance troupe Hantang Yuefu who are shown performing some of the dances at the banquet and brought parts of the painting to life.