In the eventful age of the Five Dynastic, Ching Hao, a native of Shênshui, Honan, lived as a hermit on the Taiheng  Mountain and devoted himself to the painting of landscapes.  Author of a famous essay entitled The Secret of Landscape Painting, he was critical of the great T'ang masters,  maintaining that Wu Tao-tzÛ knew how to use his brush, but not his ink, while the contrary was true of Hsiang Yung, another renowned T'ang artist. Kuan T'ung was his disciple, and his style was followed and developed by Fan K’uan and other masters of the early Sung period.

The picture here portrays the scenic spots of Lu Shan, the mountain resort in Kiangsi.

On the picture, Emperor Kao Tsung of the Southern Sung Dynasty wrote: "A Genuine Master-piece by Ching Hao."   There are several other inscription, including one by the Yuan art critic, K'o Chiu-ssÛ.

Few of Ching Hao's works survive today. This one has long been recognized as a genuine and fine piece.