24.7 cm (vertical) × 27.1 cm (horizontal)

 

Zhou Bida (1126–1204) stated, “During the Baoda era of the Southern Tang dynasty, Zen Master Wuyin resided in this mountain, receiving deep reverence from Ruler Li... When Wuyin returned to the Cuiyan Monastery, he observed that the imperial decrees bestowed upon him by Li were written on Cheng-hsin Hall paper. After completing each decree, a seal would be affixed, with the seal’s imprint as fine as a thread.” Here, the term Baoda refers to the first reign title adopted by Emperor Li Jing (916–961) after his ascension, indicating that the paper was already used for imperial decrees early in his reign.

 

Yao Darong (1860–1939) hypothesized that Dong Yuan (?–962 or 949–?) was a contemporary of the Southern Tang dynasty Emperor Li Jing. According to The Chronicles of Old Residents of Jingkou, “When Li Yu was young, he sent people to build a monastery in the Shuang’ai area of Mount Lu and instructed Dong Yuan, the palace garden overseer, to draw the monastery on Cheng-hsin Hall paper.” Yao examined five historical sources: Annals of Emperor Yuanzong of Southern Tang, Mount Lu Chronicles, Later Chronicles of Mount Lu, Geographical Records of Imperial Lands, and Reconstruction Records of Kaixian Zen Monastery, concluding that Liu Zai (1167–1240) erroneously attributed an event involving Emperor Li Jing to Emperor Li Yu. Yao deduced that Dong Yuan’s painting Mount Lu was thus likely completed between the second and third years of the Shengyuan era (938–939), shortly after Xu Gao reclaimed the surname Li and renamed the kingdom Tang.