1. Introduction

The period of the Two Song Dynasties represented the pinnacle of Chinese landscape painting, marking a golden era in its artistic and technical development. As landscape painting flourished, it attracted significant scholarly attention, with numerous studies focusing primarily on its aesthetic and artistic values. For example, Scholar Wu Yuanyuan studied the significance of special symbolic elements in landscape paintings of the two Song Dynasties, emphasizing the "cloud atmosphere" of landscape paintings and studied the aesthetics contained in the elements[1]. Hong Huizhen and Deng Huanghuang also focus on the field of aesthetics, interpreting their artistic conception through audience reception[2]. Zhang Yichi and Wang Guangwei examined the relationship between landscape painting and poetry, and explored the relationship between landscape painting and literature and art[3]. However, relatively little research has been devoted to the historical value embedded in Song Dynasty landscape paintings, particularly their capacity to reflect social, political, and ideological changes.

Given this gap in the literature, this paper analyzes landscape painting as a starting point, and analyzes how landscape painting shows historical information through composition structure, subject matter selection, artistic conception expression and other aspects. The aim of this study is to explore the historical value of the landscape paintings of the two Song Dynasties, and analyze the valuable value of the landscape paintings in the study of the history, society, ideology and culture of the two Song dynasties. The research will focus on the painting techniques in landscape paintings, the creation background and the artistic conception that the paintings bring to the readers, and further analyze the close connection between art and history. Employing methodologies such as document analysis, image analysis, and comparative analysis, the research will offer a comprehensive examination of the two Song dynasties and its artistic appreciation and research. Ultimately, this study will contribute to a deeper understanding of the interplay between landscape painting, historical events, and cultural identity, offering a more nuanced perspective on the historical and cultural connotations embedded within this artistic tradition.

2. Social Change

The Northern Song Dynasty unified China after the political fragmentation of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, re-establishing centralized authority through military reforms and bureaucratic standardization. The prosperity of the country and society is also reflected in the composition of the landscape paintings of the Northern Song Dynasty. However, following the collapse of the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao Gou, who is the Emperor Gaozong, relocated the capital to Lin’an and established the Southern Song Dynasty. Unlike his predecessors, the ruler indulged himself in enjoying the beauty of Jiangnan. His attitude of choosing to negotiate with the Jin and forgetting the shame of losing his native land made the patriots of the Southern Song disappointed the people. Many patriots with unfulfilled ambitions put their inner emotions into artistic creation, leading to the contrast between the panoramic compositions of the Northern Song and the more fragmented, introspective styles of the Southern Song[4].

2.1. Composition Change

From the perspective of composition, the landscape painting of the Northern Song Dynasty is mainly composed of panoramic composition. These grand depictions not only captured the physical majesty of nature but also conveyed an overarching sense of order and confidence reflective of the dynasty's political strength. For example, the picture of Fan Kuan's "River Mountain Travel" presents a far-reaching level gradually expanding from the foreground to the distant horizon, giving people a vast and magnificent visual feeling. Through the magnificent scenery of mountains and rivers, the picture demonstrates the strength of the country and the richness of nature in the Northern Song Dynasty. The lofty and vast landscape symbolizes the vast territory of the country, and also conveys a great power style and self-confidence. It shows the confidence and pride of the Northern Song painters for the prosperity and power of the country and society.

In contrast, the painters of the Southern Song Dynasty used corner composition rather than describing the whole landscape. This stylistic shift is particularly evident in the works of Ma Yuan, whose signature approach—often referred to as "Ma's One-Sided Composition" (Ma Bian Jiao)—depicts isolated corners of mountainous landscapes, deliberately omitting the complete view. This fragmented composition, often characterized by the motif of "half a mountain and a stream," subtly alludes to the loss of the northern territories, symbolizing both the artist’s yearning for the homeland and his dissatisfaction with the ruling elite’s passive diplomacy. At the same time, the landscape painting of the Southern Song Dynasty mostly presents the design of placing the scenery in the corner of the picture, in other words, diagonal composition[4]. For example, Xia GUI's "Yan Xiu Lin Ju" and Jia Shigu's "Yanguan Ancient Temple" both have an obvious diagonal composition structure. These compositions, often incorporating large areas of blank space, evoke an atmosphere of solitude and introspection, sharply contrasting with the grandeur of Northern Song landscapes.

The transition from panoramic to fragmented compositions in Song Dynasty landscape painting serves as a visual metaphor for the broader socio-political transformations of the period. While the grand landscapes of the Northern Song reflect a period of confidence and territorial integrity, the more intimate and melancholic compositions of the Southern Song capture the uncertainty and nostalgia of a dynasty in decline. This evolution in artistic representation not only provides insight into the emotional and ideological responses of artists but also serves as a pictorial chronicle of the shifting historical landscape of the Song Dynasty.

2.2. Scene Change

The Northern Song Dynasty landscape paintings often take the magnificent mountains and rocks as the theme, and the painters prefer to paint the magnificent mountains and rivers. The landscape paintings of the Northern Song Dynasty often take the magnificent mountains and rocks as the theme, and the painters prefer to paint the magnificent mountains and rivers. Representative works such as Fan Kuan's Travelers Among Mountains and Streams, Guo Xi's Early Spring, and Li Tang's Wind in Pines Among a Myriad Valleys all feature towering mountains as the dominant visual element. These paintings reflect the vast territory of the Northern Song Dynasty at that time, covering both the southern and northern regions, and also serve as artistic manifestations of the grandeur of northern landscapes. In contrast, landscape paintings of the Southern Song Dynasty mostly take "small West Lake scene" and "Eight sceneries of Xiaoxiang" as the main themes, revealing the fact that the Southern Song Dynasty was in the east after the change of Jingkang, and the geographical space and territory were more narrow [5]. Consequently, the choice of landscape painting themes in different periods also reflects the social and historical background at that time, and the changes and development of history have a deep influence on artistic creation.

3. Ideology and Culture

3.1. The Embodiment of Neo-Confucianism in Landscape Painting

Neo-Confucianism of the Northern Song Dynasty, exemplified by Zhou Dunyi and the Er Cheng (Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi), amalgamated Taoist cosmology and Buddhist theories of mind and nature through a reinterpretation of pre-Qin Confucianism, establishing a philosophical framework centered on "li". This ideological framework prioritizes the notion of "upholding heavenly principles and eliminating human desires" (cun tianli mie renyu), promoting the investigation of the harmony between natural laws and social ethics by "investigating things to gain knowledge" (gewu zhizhi)[6]. Neo-confucianism advocates the priciple that through the observation and thinking of natural things, humen can reveal their internal laws, and then understand the nature of the universe. Landscape painting is no longer just a simple representation of natural scenery but also a carrier of neo-Confucianism, conveying the concepts of "heaven" and "morality" in Neo-Confucianism.

Futhermore, in terms of composition, the "rational" thought of landscape painting in the Song Dynasty is particularly prominent[7]. The composition method of "San Yuan" proposed by Guo Xi embodies the theory of Neo-Confucianism[8]. "San Yuan" is not only a technique of landscape painting, but also a philosophical expression, which aligns with the reflections of Neo-Confucianism of the Song and Ming Dynasties on the order of natural principles, self-cultivation and the relationship between man and nature. Through the lofty dignity, the profound harmony and the broad peace, it reflects the artist's spiritual realm and reflects the neo-Confucianism concept." Lin Quan Gao Zhi·Huajue" mentioned in: "Where the operation of the pen, will be combined with the world. What are heaven and earth? That is, like a foot and a half above, in the place of heaven, in the place of earth, in the middle of the set." This idea of composition emphasizes the rational arrangement of heaven and earth to reflect the order of nature and the universe.

The Song Dynasty worldview was deeply rooted in the belief that the universe possessed an inherent structure governed by size, distance, and hierarchical relationships. Consequently, artists demonstrated this natural order through composition during creation to express the harmony between heaven and humanity. The landscape paintings of the Song Dynasty incorporated an understanding of the universe and the order of nature into their composition[8]. Moreover, the influence of neo-Confucianism on the Song Dynasty landscape painting is particularly significant in terms of techniques. The Song Dynasty painters pay attention to the expression of natural scenery through fine techniques, especially the realistic sense and details of the image. Under the guidance of the idea of "knowledge of objects", the painter strives to capture the true face of things through careful observation of natural things and express the inherent laws and "principles" of natural scenes[7].

3.2. Reflection of Zen in Landscape Painting

In the landscape painting of the Song Dynasty, Zen is mainly embodied in the two aspects of "color emptiness" and "artistic conception", which complement each other. "Color emptiness" is the white space, which refers to the "empty" feeling formed by the contrast relationship between "color emptiness" and color. From composition to technique, the landscape painting of the Song Dynasty insisted on the use of "color emptiness". Many painters frequently use the way of white space to make the picture ethereal and clean, which reflects the "clear mind to see the nature, get rid of the trace" in Zen[9]. Take Xia Gui's “Xi Shan Qing YuanTu” as an example, this horizontal painting of the Southern Song Dynasty is the embodiment of Zen "color emptiness" and "artistic conception". The painter makes the picture more ethereal and lonely through the design of white space. In addition, in terms of techniques, painters often reduce the use of concentrated ink in large areas, and use more thin and light strokes into Beijing painting so that the overall picture has more white space and a sense of lightness.

4. Civic and Social Life

Landscape painting, as a kind of image historical data, holds significant historical research value. Qing Ming Shang He Tu serves as an example, offering details of the landscape painting to provide an image reference for contemporary scholars to understand the ancient society. For example, the Hongqiao depicted adopts the technique of a wooden stacked beam arch, and its column free cantilever structure demonstrates the high maturity of bridge engineering in the Northern Song Dynasty. The images of bridges in landscape paintings are important evidence of the history of bridge construction and provide valuable reference for the research of architecture[10]. In addition, landscape painting as an image of historical data also provides a reference for the study of citizen life and social economy. In Qing Ming Shang He Tu, many shops are set up along the river and streets, shops are built along the river bank, there are large restaurants and small stalls, and the city street scene is very lively. The urban layout depicted in the painting also reflects significant changes in city planning, indicating that the Northern Song capital had moved beyond the rigid "square city" system to a more flexible urban design. This evolution attests to the flourishing commodity economy of the Northern Song capital, providing valuable insights into the social and economic conditions of the period.

5. Conclusion

As an important representative of traditional Chinese painting, landscape painting is not only the product of artistic creation, but also reflects the characteristics of social and historical changes, ideology and culture as well as the life of civil society. The landscape paintings of the Northern Song Dynasty often depict the prosperous urban life and the open natural landscape, showing the stability of the society and the prosperity of the country. In contrast, Southern Song painters gravitated towards serene and minimalist landscapes, emphasizing personal introspection and emotional depth, reflecting the societal exhaustion following prolonged warfare and the pursuit of inner tranquility.

Additionally, the landscape painting of the Song Dynasty is not only the presentation of natural scenes, but also reflects the gradual deepening of neo-Confucianism and Zen thoughts. Through the depiction of the natural landscape, the painter conveyed the core ideas of neo-Confucianism, which are "to understand the material objects" and "to preserve the natural principles and to go to the human desires". The quiet and simple style of landscape painting is in line with the philosophical concept of "ethereal and detached" of Zen, which reflects the pursuit of inner cultivation and spiritual realm of Song Dynasty people.

Finally, landscape painting, as an important historical image, not only reflects the natural landscape but also offers a more real miniature of the Song Dynasty society, providing valuable evidence for future generations to study the social style of the Song Dynasty.

In conclusion, landscape painting is not only a work of art, but also a microcosm of history and culture. Through the analysis of landscape paintings in the Song Dynasty, people can better understand the historical changes of ancient Chinese society, the connotation of ideology and culture, and the spiritual world behind social life. Landscape painting provides historical memory across time for contemporary people, and is a valuable image data for the study of Chinese traditional social history. Despite the contributions of this study, limitations exist due to the constraints of historical documentation and the inherent subjectivity in interpreting landscape paintings. Future research should focus on conducting more in-depth analyses of specific artistic elements, integrating historical texts with visual representations to further uncover the historical significance of Song Dynasty landscape paintings.