Odes of the State of Bin: The Seventh Month 1768 - 1833

Fei Qinghu painted "Odes of the State of Bin: The Seventh Month" in ink and color on silk during the Qing dynasty. Here, Fei reinterprets a classic poem, visually mapping its verses onto an idealized landscape of labor and leisure. Look at how the painting divides social classes: peasants toil in the fields, while an official on horseback surveys the scene. This contrast reflects the hierarchical structure of Qing society, where scholar-officials governed and agrarian labor sustained the empire. The detailed depiction of clothing, tools, and natural elements gives us a snapshot of the period's material culture and economy. Paintings like this served a didactic purpose, promoting Confucian values of social harmony. The reference to an ancient poem also legitimizes the ruling class. However, the very act of representing these themes inflects them with the artist's interpretation, subtly commenting on the social structures of his time. To understand this work more fully, we can turn to historical texts, studies of Qing dynasty society, and analyses of Fei Qinghu's biography, enriching our appreciation of art's role in reflecting and shaping its world.