“Luo Shen Fu Tu” is a narrative painting inspired by the “Luo Shen Fu” composed by Cao Zhi, a Wei poet of the Three Kingdoms period (220–265). The original work recounts how a poet encounters and falls in love with the beautiful immortal, Luo Shen, by the banks of the Luo River—yet their union is thwarted by the insurmountable divide between the mortal and the divine, leading to a tragic, parting sorrow that expresses the poet’s endless grief and longing for his lost love. Later critics have regarded this composition as Cao Zhi’s elegy in remembrance of his beloved Zhen Luo.
According to legend, young Cao Zhi fell in love with the daughter of a county magistrate named Zhen Yi. Later, she was married to his elder brother Cao Pi, who subsequently ascended as emperor. After bearing Emperor Ming, Empress Zhen fell victim to slander and perished. When Cao Zhi came into possession of her lost pillow, he was deeply moved and dreamt vivid dreams, prompting him to compose the “Gan Zhen Fu” in her memory—a piece which Emperor Ming later revised into the “Luo Shen Fu” for posterity. In this account, the figure of Luo Shen is identified with Mi Fei, the fabled daughter of Fuxi who, having drowned in the Luo River, attained divinity. By likening Empress Zhen to Luo Shen, Cao Zhi subtly enshrined his remembrance and profound affection for his lost love.
The “Luo Shen Fu” is renowned for its lyrical beauty and impassioned narrative, its depiction of the intertwined fate of mortal and divine rendered with such delicate poignancy that it stirs the soul. Moved by its emotive power, the artist Gu Kaizhi was inspired to capture its essence in the creation of “Luo Shen Fu Tu.”
Gu Kaizhi was a renowned painter of China’s Eastern Jin period, achieving remarkable success in both his artistic creations and theoretical contributions to painting. Throughout his life, he produced numerous artworks; however, due to the passage of time, his original pieces can no longer be seen today. The version of “Luo Shen Fu Tu” attributed to him that we have now is a copy made by Song Dynasty artists. It is celebrated as one of China’s top ten enduring masterpieces, possessing immense literary and artistic value.
The painting opens by depicting Cao Zhi on the banks of the Luo River, where he suddenly encounters the river goddess. As he strides forward, gazing into the distance at the dancing flight of dragons and wild geese, the goddess—her shoulders sculpted to perfection and her waist elegantly fashioned, with a lofty, cloud-like coiffure and exquisitely arched brows—drifts gracefully toward him, intermittently appearing and vanishing like a fleeting vision. In the latter portion of the work, the goddess departs in a cloud chariot drawn by six dragons, accompanied by jade luan, ornate fish, and whale-like creatures. As she turns her head to gaze back, her expression is imbued with a tender reluctance and profound sorrow, poignantly capturing the bittersweet emotion of parting.
