Mountain Water Treasure|山水宝|Shan Shui Bao
山 水 shan shui is an art form. It translates as landscape, literally 山 shan is mountain and 水 shui is water. As a style of Chinese painting it is core to Chinese culture, a natural landscape done with brush and ink using the same essential skills as calligraphy, the highest form of chinese art. It rose to prominence more than a thousand years ago.
Shan shui painting does not represent an actual scene, but builds an atmosphere, using contrasts, light and dark, solid and void, yin and yang. The painting is essentially a meditation, the opportunity to capture an awareness or inner reality, and is one of the ancient arts of the scholar gentleman tradition that is still revered today. Balance, harmony, knowledge and skill are all essential.
山 水 shan shui mountain water.
宝 bao means treasure. 山 水 宝 Shan Shui Bao is the name of our company, but for ease we call it Bao Advisory. The Chinese love puns, and it is easy to play with words when there are so many homophones in the Chinese language. Bao means treasure but can also mean Dumpling, Baby, Protect, Declare, Hug, Sudden, Fortress, Leopard, Honour, Fry, Nurse - each one of course a different character 包 宝 保 报 抱 暴 堡 豹 褒 爆 媬. In fact there are more than 100 Chinese characters with the sound bao.
Chinese characters are core to understanding the country and calligraphy central to its art forms. Play with words, understand some characters, learn how to write a few words, peel back the layers of this ancient country. China.
But for advice on navigating its ancient byways and waterways contact us...