Visitors admire The Night Revels of Han Xizai in Hangzhou on August 22, 2026. (Photo: China News Service/Cao Dan)

The Night Revels of Han Xizai, a masterpiece from the Palace Museum's collection, was unveiled at an exhibition in Hangzhou on Saturday. This marks the painting's first public display since 2011.

Attributed to Five Dynasties artist Gu Hongzhong, the scroll depicts a historical scene of Southern Tang Minister Han Xizai's evening banquet. Divided by screens and furniture into five scenes, the painting captures Han's expressions shifting from outward revelry to inner melancholy. Wei Zhuting, the exhibition's curator, noted the work is a pinnacle of Chinese figure painting and a vital historical record of the era's clothing, musical instruments, and customs.

Wei pointed out that while the original painting by Gu Hongzhong was probably painted in Nanjing, the piece currently exhibited is very likely to have originated in Lin'an Prefecture (modern-day Hangzhou) in the Southern Song period. It bears the seal of Southern Song chancellor Shi Miyuan, Wei said. "The painting has finally returned to Hangzhou after more than 800 years," he added.

The exhibition runs until September 20.