Zhao Yong: Bridging the Tang and Yuan – A Master of Horse and Landscape Born in 1289 during the waning years of the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhao Yong (also known as Zhongmu) emerged as a pivotal figure in Chinese art, bridging the stylistic traditions of the Tang dynasty with the evolving aesthetics of the Yuan. His life coincided with a period of immense upheaval – the Mongol conquest and subsequent establishment of the Yuan Dynasty – profoundly shaping both the artistic landscape and the political realities of China. Zhao Yong’s story is inextricably linked to his lineage; he was the son o…