Dubbed the "Famous Mountain above the Sea," Yandang Mountain in east China's Zhejiang is a resort area known for its natural beauty. It serves as a de facto natural museum of geology and living record of geological history dating back 100 million years. This is the mountain in the eyes of tourists. For many Chinese painters, however, it has different shapes.

Pan Tianshou is one of the greatest landscape painters in modern China. His magnum opus "The Impression of Blossoms of Yandang Mountain," created in 1962, recorded the shape of Yandang Mountain the way he perceived it. "Fine Arts in China," a documentary series by China Media Group, uses advanced digital technology to make the painter's classic work even more vivid, conveying the magnificent landscape of the mountain and its colorful environment to viewers.

On a stretch of rice paper measuring four by one and a half meters, Pan used vigorous brushstrokes to depict the magnificence of his artistic vision. Vines come alive with the rhythm of life, boulders stand firm and strong, and exuberant blossoms loom large. The colorful flowers accentuate the area's lush wilderness. Tiny blades of grass add rich layers to the image. Amid such tranquility, people can almost hear the chorus of frogs. The juxtaposition of motion and stillness enhances the view of the horizon. This is the spring scenery of Yandang Mountain.

For Pan, Yandang Mountain was not only a painting subject, but also a place of spiritual significance. In the 1950s, China's traditional fine art was thought to have become stagnant and conservative in both technique and subject matter. In those years, students chose to steer clear of traditional paintings. This dwindling interest compelled the artist to blaze a new path bolstered by his bold innovations.

Pan arrived at Yandang Mountain and sketched the natural scenery, the fauna and flora, as well as the rocks there. The distinct hues, extensive breadth of perspective, and blossoming wild flowers all come together in a breathtaking composition. The huge rock in the painting expresses the firmness of Pan's resolve. This was interpreted by later generations as representing the confidence he had in his national culture, which is as unshakable as the rock itself.

Chinese fine art derives its strength and vision from the artist's innermost feelings. The brushstrokes manifest one's most deeply held aspirations. Pan's bold, unprecedented endeavors in the 1950s and 1960s breathed new life into the country's centuries-old fine art tradition. As the master artist once said, "Artistic quality is ultimately measured by spirituality; a single step can make the most vital difference."