My teacher introduced me to a really interesting show, National Treasure, which is about Chinese treasures and the stories behind them. It's a fantastic way to learn about culture as well as practicing the language.

The episode below introduces the story of A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains, a painting by Wang Ximeng who was just 18 years old when it was completed in 1113.

A masterpiece of the Song dynasty, and the only surviving artwork by child prodigy Wang, this artwork has kept it's wondrous blue and green colour vibrant even after almost 1000 years, by using minerals as pigment. The process really is a labour of love. You can download a copy of the image in its entirety here.

"Li" (里) is a Chinese unit of measurement, equivalent to around half a kilometre. So 千里 is around 500km. In a less literal sense, it's also used as a way to say a really long distance. There is also no repeating element in the whole piece, much like the nature it's trying to represent.

Watch the full episode: