Mingzhong

CHINA, Zhejiang, Jiaxing; Qing dynasty

Mingzhong, also known as Daheng or Fengxu, was a monk, painter, seal engraver, and poet from Tongxiang, Jiaxing. He renounced at Lengyan Temple in Zhejiang at a young age, and in 1735, he traveled to the capital to study the Dharma under Chan Master Wu’ai Yongjue. Upon his return to Zhejiang, he stayed at Shenggu Temple. Master Mingzhong subsequently became the abbot of Jingci Temple in Xihu, Zhejiang in 1757. During his life, he received the Purple Robe three times from Emperor Qianlong (reigned 1735–1796) of the Qing dynasty. He authored Meaning of Poems by Fengxu and Bequeathed Collection of Master Fengxu.
Mingzhong was a skilled painter of landscapes, imparting the precision of Huang Gongwang’s style, and the elegance of Ni Zan’s works. He formed a poetry club alongside his close friends Ding Jing and Hang Shijun, and his extant seal entitled, Rather Hold a Book While Lying on White Clouds, portrays an excerpt from a well-known poem of the Song dynasty (960–1279). His existing paintings include Avalokitesvara with a Fish Basket.