By Claire Hennessey
The subject of
the "Orchid Pavilion" shows scholars who are having a day out
along a river in China. The name of the river is unknown. They were all
out because of the Spring Purification Festival. All along the river the
scholars are among the trees, hills, and the banks, reading, drawing, painting,
talking, and debating things all day. (Click
here for a larger image.)
As the scholars
were all having this fun, their servants were very busy at the mouth and
the bottom of the river. At the bottom they were passing and cleaning the
cups, then running them back up to the mouth of the river so the cups could
be refilled and sent back down the river. Whenever the scholars wanted a
cup of wine they would just reach out into the river and take a cup off
a lily-pad and drink it. Then, when they were done they would just put the
cup back lily-pad and send it floating again. (Click
here for a larger image.)
The reason that they choose to drink wine is because they thought that it was good to get a little drunk when they were doing all the things that they were doing that day. They also drank because of a game where if you were the loser you had to take a drink. (Click here for a larger image.)
