In 1941, Zhang Daqian went to northwestern China to expand his understanding of Chinese art history by studying the rich tradition of religious wall painting. He surveyed the Buddhist cave paintings at Dunhuang and made more than 200 high-quality facsimiles in less than three years.
As a break from the facsimile work in the dark caves, Zhang lifted his eyes to the Three Perils Mountain (三危山) in the distance.
