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imperial palace in Nanjing. Kuai Xiang was involved in the in the surroundings areas of Beijing. The Veritable Records
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construction of both palaces, as well as temples, and civil only states that Kuai Xiang was ‘granted a burial according
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and military bureaus. In particular, he led the rebuilding of to regulations’ (ci jizang ru li 賜祭葬如例) without specifying
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the three main halls, Fengtian 奉天, Huagai 華蓋 and that he was buried near the capital. This decree should
Jinshen 謹身, at the imperial palace in Beijing in 1441, after mainly refer to the bestowal of funds by the imperial court to
they were destroyed by fire caused by lightning during the pay for Kuai Xiang’s burial. According to Ming court
fourth month of 1420. At the end of the Tianshun 天順 reign customs, only officials and eunuchs who were from Beijing
(1457–64), he oversaw the construction of the emperor’s would be buried around the capital, while officials who were
mausoleum known as the Yu 裕 Mausoleum of the Thirteen not from Beijing would normally be buried back at their
Ming Tombs (Ming shisan ling 明十三陵). native place. The 23rd generation descendant of Kuai Xiang
Among the many professions involved in building is still alive today and has not expressed any doubt as to the
construction work in ancient China, carpenters are known burial site of his ancestor. The identity of the occupant of
as the ‘Head of the Hundred Works’ (baigong zhi shou 百工之首) Kuai Xiang’s tomb should not be in question.
and usually control the most important parts of a project.
The team led by the head carpenter has a decisive role to The painter Zhu Bang
play in procedures ranging from determining the basic and There is very little information about the painter Zhu Bang.
overall design, to the arrangement and setting of the frames According to Huashi hui yao 畫史會要 (Outline of the History of
of the buildings. Other processes such as masonry, roof Painting) and Ming hua lu 明畫錄 (Records of Ming Painting), Zhu
tiling, lacquering and papering are largely dependent on the Bang, zi Zhengzhi 正之 (or Jinzhi 近之), is also known by the
work of the carpenters. Kuai Xiang was promoted from the sobriquets Jiulongshan qiao 九龍山樵 (Woodcutter of
Head of Artisans to Aide at the Work Project Office Mount Jiulong), Fengxi yusou 豐溪漁叟 (Old Fisherman of
(Yingshansuo cheng 營繕所丞), finally becoming Left Vice- Fengxi), Hanhou daoren 酣齁道人 (Master of Drinking and
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Minister (Zuo shilang 左侍郎) of the Ministry of Works in Snoring), Yinsou 隱叟 (Reclusive Old Man), and others.
1456. The Chenghua 成化 emperor (r. 1465–87) purportedly He was a native of Anhui province, either from Xin’an 新安
referred to Kuai Xiang as ‘Kuai Lu Ban’ 蒯魯班, comparing (present-day She 歙 county) or Xiuning 休寧, and was
him to the legendary artisan Lu Ban 魯班 (507–444 bce) of skilled in painting landscape and figures in a style
the Spring and Autumn period. comparable to his Zhe school contemporaries Zheng Wenlin
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According to the Veritable Records, Kuai Xiang reached 鄭文林 (fl. 1522–66) and Zhang Lu 張路 (1464–1538). Based
the official rank of second grade and was given a grade one on his sobriquets, the author believes that Zhu Bang was an
salary, but he continued to live a humble life and maintained uninhibited painter with scholarly characteristics, who
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his down-to-earth artisanal character. In 1481 he passed enjoyed drinking and excess. He was active in the middle
away at the age of 84 while still serving as the Left Vice- and later parts of the Ming dynasty, and painted in an
Minister of the Ministry of Works. Ming shi 明史 (History of untrammelled style in the same vein as the works of Wu Wei
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the Ming) of the 18th century makes no mention of Kuai 吳偉 (1459–1508), who was the leader of the Jiangxia school
Xiang; instead, information about him has to be found in 江夏派, which was a branch of the Zhe school. The life of
other writings and local legends. The limited attention that Zhu Bang is shrouded in mystery. There are no records of
scholars paid to him may be due to his profession as an his activities, nor are there any records of him working in the
artisan. As noted above, the place where Kuai Xiang lived Ming imperial court. Portrait of an Official in Front of the Beijing
was known by locals as ‘Vice-Minister Kuai’s Alley’. Imperial Palace can provide additional information about Zhu
Although this place no longer exists, the author believes that Bang’s life. It is highly probable that at the end of the
Suzhou Alley (Suzhou hutong 蘇州胡同), which is located Chenghua reign, especially in 1481 when Kuai Xiang passed
around 2km southeast of the Forbidden City, was where away, Zhu Bang was in Beijing looking for work
artisans and merchants from Suzhou gathered during the opportunities. The Zhu clan was a distinguished clan in
Ming and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties. Kuai Xiang’s former Anhui, and Anhui artisans also participated in the building
residence should have been near this place. of the imperial palaces in Nanjing and Beijing. It is possible
Kuai Xiang was buried south of his native place of that Zhu Bang was hired by members of the Xiangshan
Xiangshan village. His high official status at the imperial group from Suzhou to produce the painting. However, Zhu
court became a source of motivation for other Xiangshan Bang’s depiction of the Forbidden City and the surroundings
artisans and led to the emergence of more carpentry groups of the Chengtian Gate in the painting are not very detailed
from the area. Although other carpentry leaders appeared or accurate (see below). This suggests that he had never
after Kuai Xiang, such as Xu Gao 徐杲 (16th century) and stepped foot inside the Forbidden City and had never
Yao Canting 姚灿庭 of the Qing dynasty, they did not reach worked as a painter at the imperial court; instead he was a
the achievements of Kuai Xiang. Today we can still see the painter who worked among common people. Wu Wei
skilfully made carpentry tools once used by the Xiangshan served at the imperial court during the Chenghua reign.
group in the museum commemorating Kuai Xiang located Around the age of 20 he was summoned by the emperor,
next to his tomb. and given the title of Embroidered-uniform Military Guard
One scholar has questioned whether Kuai Xiang was serving at Renzhidian 仁智殿 (Hall of Benevolent
buried at Xiangshan village, suggesting that the tomb now Wisdom). If Zhu Bang was in Beijing during this time, he
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identified as Kuai Xiang’s actually belonged to his would have had the opportunity to meet Wu Wei. The two
grandparents, while the man himself may have been buried men had many reasons to socialise, given their shared love

Painting of the Imperial Palace and Zhu Bang | 59