Zhou Mi's Record of Clouds and Mist Passing Before One's Eyes: An Annotated Translation

An annotated translation of Zhou Mi’s (1232-1298) Record of Clouds and Mist Passing Before One’s Eyes (Yunyan guoyan lu). A valuable contribution to help broaden our understanding of the early care and transmission of artworks, the social dimensions of art collecting, and the development of a multi-ethnic society in Yuan China. Subject of this book is the social and cultural history of Chinese art collecting during the early years of Mongol rule in China (the Yuan dynasty, 1276-1368). At the core of Weitz’s book is a complete translation of the Record of Clouds and Mist Passing Before One’s Eyes (Yunyan guoyan lu), an art catalog written by the Song dynasty loyalist Zhou Mi (1232-1298). This text contains detailed records of more than forty private art collections that the author saw in Hangzhou between 1275 and 1296. The careful annotations, scholarly introduction, and well-researched appendices help to broaden our understanding of the early care and transmission of artworks, the social dimensions of art collecting, and the development of a multi-ethnic society in Yuan China.