Abstract
Informed by the studies of classical Chinese poetry, calligraphy and painting, and recent theory of ”manuscript culture,” this paper examines a painting scroll in relation to ”Four Poems on Autumn Willows” by the early Qing, canonical poet Wang Shizhen. It reconsiders the production and contents of the painting scroll and the act of viewing from the perspective of ”social agency,” highlights the intricate interaction and negotiation between images and words in the private and public spheres, and exposes the fluidity of meaning therein. This awareness problematizes conventional views on true or false, fictionality, and historicity, etc.