Asian Landscape Painting:

Mountains & Rivers of the

Southern Country

An Introduction
Course Objective
Course Outline
Art Materials
 Course Objectives
To be aware and show an understanding and
appreciation of the historic, geographic, and cultural
aspects of Việt Nam.

To use Chinese brush painting techniques and materials

in painting landscapes which are typically Việtnamese.

To integrate Việtnamese calligraphy in a painting in

making a poetic reference or commentary on what has
been painted.
Course Outline
Việtnamese Calligraphy
Palm Trees
Paddy Fields
Water Buffaloes
People
Mountains
Perfume River
Red River
Rice Terraces
Hạ Long Bay
 Art Materials
The Three Treasures
 Art Materials
Other Treasures
 History
Geography
Economics
Demography
Language
Culture
History
 China and the Yue People
The Middle Kingdom was centred between the
Yangtze River and the Yellow River.

The people living south of this (Fujian,

Zhejiang, Guangdong, Guanxi, Yunnan,
northern Việt Nam) were known to the Chinese
as the Baiyue or Yue peoples – an ancient
conglomeration of non-Chinese hill tribes.
 Yue States
There were a number of Yue states/kingdoms:

Nanyue / Nam Việt (Guangxi, Guangdong,

northern Việt Nam)

Minyue (Fujian)

Ouyue / Eastern Ou (Zhejiang)

 Han
Southward
Expansion

This led to the

conquest of the Yue
territories and their
incorporation into the
Han Empire.
 Nam Việt
For the next one thousand one hundred
years, (111 BCE - 938) the Han Chinese
colonised and sinicised the Việt peoples.

Confuciansim was introduced as well as

the Chinese language and culture.
Nam Việt
&
Chăm Pa

(1000-1100)
Chăm Pa / Champa
 Chăm Pa / Champa
This was a collection of independent kingdoms
that came into existence from the 2nd century
and lasted until 1832.

They were seafaring and trading people that

brought them into contact with the kingdom of
Funan in Cambodia.
 Chăm Pa
Religion
Sanskrit was adopted and
Hinduism, especially
Shavism, became a
dominant religion in the
area.

Some sites have yielded

some important works of
religious art and
architecture including Mỹ
Sơn and Po Nagar.
Mỹ Sơn Hindu Temple, Quảng Nam
Po Nagar Hindu Temple, Nha Trang
Phù Nam / Funan
Phù Nam / Funan

This was the name

given by Chinese
cartographers to an
ancient Indianised Chân Lạp
Chăm Pa
network of states
centred on the
Mê Kông Delta that
existed from 1st to the Phu Nam̀

6th Century.
 Phù Nam / Funan
They were predominantly Mon-Khmer people
who became prosperous through maritime
trade from India to China via the Malay
peninsula, Gulf of Siam, Mê Kông Delta, along
the Việtnamese coast to China.

They lived mostly along the rivers of the

Mê Kông Delta in stilt houses, a rich region for
fishing and rice cultivation.
 Phù Nam
They were heavily influenced by Indian culture and
used Sanskrit as the language of the court. They
adopted Hinduism, and after the 5th century,
Buddhism.

They were eventually absorbed by it’s vassal

Chenla /Chân Lạp which was succeeded by the
Khmer Empire.

The Mê Kông region was known as Khmer Krom or

“lower Cambodia” to the Khmer Empire.
 Nam Tiến
This was “the march to the south” and
describes the expansion of territory of Việt Nam
from the 11th Century to the 18th Century,
conquering Chăm Pa and parts of the Khmer
Empire.
 Nam Tiến

Southward
Expansion of
Việt Nam
Geography
Physical Map of
Việt Nam
Việt Nam was described in a 10th Century
poem to be
“a land of mountains and rivers”

Nam quốc sơn hà

(mountains and rivers of the southern country)

This was the country’s first declaration of

Independence.
Mountain Peaks in Việt Nam
 Phan Xi Păng
Fansipan

This is the highest

mountain in Indo-
China at 3143
metres in the
northwest region.
 Dãy Trường Sơn
Annamite Mountains

This is a mountain
range of eastern Indo-
China which extends
through Laos, Việt Nam
and Cambodia.

In Việt Nam the range is

located in central Việt
Nam.
It runs parallel to the
Việtnamese coastline.
Rivers in Việt Nam
Sông Hồng Red
River
is a river that flows
from Yunnan Province
in Southwest China
through northern Việt
Nam.

The river and its

distributeries spread
out to form the Red
River Delta which then
empties into the Gulf
of Tonkin.
 Sông Mê Kông
Mekong River
is a transboundary river that
starts from the Tibetan
Plateau and runs through
China’s Yunnan Province,
Myanmar, Laos, Thailand,
Cambodia and Việt Nam to
the Mê Kông Delta and into
the South China Sea.

The river is a major trade

route between western
China and Southeast Asia.
Climate
 Humid Subtropical (Cwa)
Hot and humid summers and
mild winters.

Tropical Monsoon Climate (Am)

Extraordinarily rainy wet
seasons and pronounced dry
seasons.

Tropical Savannah (Aw)

Distinct hot and dry seasons.
Regions
of
Việt Nam
 Northeast Việt Nam
This is a region which borders
China and is mountainous and
includes limestone mountains and
karsts.

Thác Bản Giốc is the largest

waterfall in Việt Nam and sits on the
border with China.

Hạ Long Bay contains clusters of

some 1600 limestone monolithic
islands with thick jungle vegetation.
Thác Bản Giốc,
Vịnh Hạ Long
Hoàng Su Phì Rice Terraces
 Northwest Việt Nam
This is a mountainous region which
borders China and Laos.

Phan Xi Păng is covered in snow

during the winter.

Rice terraces are a common part of

the landscape especially in Sa Pa.
Phan Xi Păng
Sa Pa Rice Terraces
 Red River Delta
This is a flat low-lying plain formed by
the Red River.

The Red River Delta forms mangroves

and wetlands of high diversity.

It is an agriculturally rich area and

most of the land is devoted to rice
cultivation.

The capital Hà Nội and the port of Hải

Phòng is located here.
Ninh Bình
Ninh Bình
 North Central Coast
This is an area known for it’s
limestone karst mountain forests and
sandy beaches.

The Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park

is full of limestone karsts and caves
with the largest cave in the world. And
home to rare species.

The Annamite Mountain range forms

the natural border with Laos.

The royal city of Huế is located here.

Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park
Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park
Nhật Lệ Beach
 South Central Coast
This is an area that is diverse with
many mountain ranges and hills from
the Annamites that extends to the
Central Highlands, to beaches and
backdrops.

Bà Nà is a hill station on the

Annamites.

Nha Trang is well known for its sandy

beaches.

The region includes several islands in

the South China Sea.
Looking from Bà Nà
Nha Trang
 Central Highlands
This is a plateau area that borders
with Laos and Cambodia on the South
Annamite Range.

It is an area of dense tropical forests

and lakes as well as plantations of
tea, coffee and rubber.

Đà Lạt plateau is a tropical evergreen

forest of pine.
Ho Lắk
Thác Gougah or Pongour Waterfall, Đà Lạt
Đà Lạt Pine Forests
 Southeast Việt Nam
This is forested area near the border
of Cambodia and predominatly farm
land for coffee, tea, rubber and
pepper.

Cát Tiên National Park is a tropical

forest reserve that protects many
endangered species.

Hồ Chí Minh city is the largest city in

Việt Nam.
Crocodile Swamp, Cat Tiên National Park
 Mê Kông River Delta
This is an area that is dominated by
the flat flood plains and tributaries to
the south with small forests and hills
and beaches to the Cambodian
border.

The Mê Kông Delta is “the rice basket”

of Việt Nam.

Bến Tre is a forested area famous for

it’s coconuts.
Bến Tre
Mỹ Tho River
Phú Quốc
Economics
 Việt Nam has an
agricultural economy where
about 60% of the labour
force is engaged in
agriculture, forestry and
fishing.
 Rice
Production
Việt Nam is the
second largest
exporter
worldwide.

It is the world’s
seventh largest
consumer of rice.
 Coffee
Production
Việt Nam is the
second largest
producer in the
world.
 Tea
Production
Việt Nam is the
fifth largest
producer in the
world.
Black Pepper
Production

Việt Nam is the

largest producer
and exporter in the
world.
Demography
Ethnic Groups in Việt Nam

There are 54 ethnic groups

in Việt Nam each with their
own language, lifestyle and
cultural heritage.
The largest ethnic groups in
Việt Nam are:
Việt or Kinh 85.7%
Tay 1.9%
Mường 1.5%
Khmer Krom 1.5%
Hmong 1.2%
Việt/Kinh
People
They are the
majority (86%) of
people living in
Việt Nam
originating from
present day
South China and
northern Việt
Nam.
Tày People
They are the second
largest group who live
mostly in northern Việt
Nam (Sa Pa) along the
valleys and mountain
slopes where they are
agriculturalists growing
rice, maize and sweet
potato. They speak
Central Tày.
Tai-Kadai
Language
Group
 Mường
People
They are the third
largest group who live
in the mountainous
regions of northern
Việt Nam (Hòa Bình and
Thanh Hòa Province).
They speak Mường and
profess Buddhism or
Catholicism.
Khmer Krom
People
They are the fourth
largest group who are
ethnically Khmer living
in the South-western
part of Việt Nam (Mê
Kông Delta). They have
close linguistic, cultural
economic links with
Cambodia.
 Hmong
People
They are the fifth
largest group who
originated from
Southern China who
settled in Northwest
and Central Highland
areas of Việt Nam.
Hmong groups are
named after dominant
colours they wear. Black
Hmongs, Flower
Hmongs.
Language
Chữ Hán
 Chữ Hán / Classical Chinese
Until the beginning of the twentieth century
classical Chinese was the formal language of
government, administration and scholarship
in Việt Nam.

The language was the same as that used in

China (Middle Chinese) and used the same
standard Chinese characters.
Chữ Hán / Classical Chinese
In Việtnamese, Chinese characters were
known as:

chữ Hán (Han characters)

Hán văn (Han script)

chữ nho (words of Confucians)

 Nam quốc sơn hà
Mountains and Rivers of the Southern
Country.

This was written in chữ Hàn and is a 10th

Century emblematic hymn recited by Lý
Thường Kiệt to boost Việt morale during
the second Song invasion. It was the first
declaration of Việt independence.
 南國山河

南國山河南帝 居
截然定分在天書
如何逆虜來侵犯
汝等行看取敗虛
 Sino-Việtnamese Transliteration

Nam quốc sơn hà

Nam quốc sơn hà nam đế cư

Tiệt nhiên định phận tại thiên thư
Như hà nghịch lỗ lai xâm phạm
Nhữ đẳng hành khan thủ bại hư
 Việtnamese

Nam quốc sơn hà

Sông núi nước Nam, vua Nam ở

Rành rành định phận ở sách trời.
Cớ sao lũ giặc sang xâm phạm,
Chúng bây sẽ bị đánh tơi bời!
 English Translation

Mountains and Rivers of the

Southern Country
The mountains and rivers of the southern empire, dwelled by
the Southern Emperor.
It’s sovereignty is of nature's will and is allotted in script
from the heaven.
What gives these invaders the right to trespass it,
They shall, in doing that, see themselves be defeated and
shamed!
Chữ Nôm
Chữ Nôm / Southern Characters
This was a writing system that used classical
Chinese characters to represent Sino-
Việtnamese vocabulary with some native
Việtnamese words.

New characters were created on the Chinese

model to represent new words.
Chữ Nôm
Chữ Nôm / Southern Characters
It was used widely amongst Việt Nam’s cultural
elite from the 15th Century to the 19th Century in
folk literature and verse.

The Tale of Kiều was composed in chữ Nôm.

 Within the span of a hundred years of existence,
What a bitter struggle is waged between genius and destiny!
How many harrowing events have occurred while mulberries cover the conquered sea!
Rich in beauty, unlucky in life!
Strange indeed, but little wonder,
Since casting hatred upon rosy cheeks is habit of the Blue Sky.
Chữ Quốc
ngữ
 Chữ Quốc ngữ
The “national style script” is a modern writing
system for the Việtnamese language in which
the Latin script is used to represent Việtnamese
pronunciation.

It was created in the 17th Century by a French

Jesuit and missionary but was not used widely
until after independence in 1945.
 Chữ Quốc ngữ

It is based on the Portuguese alphabet and

some borrowings from Italian, Greek and Latin.

It uses additional diacritics for tones and

certain letters.
 Lexicon
30% - 60% of lexicon are derived from naturalised
word borrowings from Chinese.

Many compound words are native Việtnamese

words combined with Chinese naturalised word
borrowings and have Việtnamese
pronunciation.
As a result of French colonial occupation from the
mid-eighteenth century, many words are French.
 Culture
Visual Arts
 Chinese Brush Painting
With the spread of Confucianism in Việt Nam,
Chinese style ink/wash painting was one of
the leisurely pursuits of the Mandarin
scholarly gentlemen, along with calligraphy
and playing the Đàn tranh (guzheng).

Unlike in China, Japan or Korea, no artistic

masters are known.
 Li Keran
(1907-1989)
China
 Shān Shuǐ Painting
山水
Traditional Chinese
landscape painting was a
poetic and imagined
landscape of the mind,
which had to contain the
elements of mountains and
water
(shān shuǐ)

Li Keran spent much time

sketching and claimed that
drawing was the first step
towards a reformation of
Chinese painting.
 Việtnamese Oil Painting
Many artists studied in the École des
Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine in Hà Nội. It
was estabished in 1925 under French
rule and introduced many artists to the
French art tradition of Romanticism,
Impressionism and Surrealism.
Luang Xuan Nhi
(1913-2006)
Palm Hills
Đặng Can
(1957-)
Mê Kông
 Modern Việtnamese
Silk Painting
Silk painting has a long tradition in China and
Việt Nam in which silk was used instead of
paper.

Modern silk painting reached its peak from

1925-1945 with the role played by the Fine Arts
College of Indochina in turning out exceptional
artists.
Nguyễn Phan Chán
(1892-1984)
Crab catcher
Ink gouache on silk
 Modern Việtnamese
Silk Painting
Modern Silk painting produced a unique set of
characteristics with its softness and
transparency of colours.

Silk is a soft material that dyes when paint is

added and it is the careful layering of
watercolour paint that creates hues and adds to
the softness and transparency.
 Culture
Việtnamese Calligraphy
 Việtnamese
Calligraphy
has been strongly affected
by China and the Chinese
calligraphic tradition.

Classical Chinese (Hán

Nôm) and Sino-
Việtnamese (Chữ Nôm)
scripts are still written
today for the Lunar New
Year (Tết) with festive
banners and signage and
words of good luck and
fortune for home
decoration.
 Việtnamese
Calligraphy
Due to the adoption of the
Latin based Quốc Ngữ, a
free style calligraphy is
used, done using the
traditional brush and ink.

Just like in Chinese,

parallel sentences are
written to bring luck.
Việtnamese
Alphabet