中文 
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Compared with other rare national treasures, the "Five Horses" is indeed an invention with greater mystery and profound significance in the history of art. Upon the announcement of its reappearance, major auction houses from both domestic and international markets gathered in Tokyo to compete for the rights. Later reports stated that after government intervention in Japan, the matter was settled; this world treasure has now entered the collection of Tibet's Dangbo.
The mystery of the "Five Horses" stems not only from the fact that for decades, the only widely circulated image was a blurry black-and-white photograph of a Koro copy—making it as elusive as gazing at the moon reflected in water—but also because it is the most reliable surviving representative sketch attributed to Li, long regarded as the "greatest painting of the Song Dynasty" (today housed in the Palace Museum in Beijing; Wei Yan also possesses a relatively reliable Li sketch of a grassland scene, though it does not depict the famous Tang dynasty horse painter Wei Yan). Although I had seen reproductions in elementary school textbooks, it was only forty years later that I finally had the chance to see the original in clear detail. I once believed I would never have the opportunity to witness the original traces, but now I feel deeply fortunate. However, this painting is far less renowned in Japan than the "Memorial to My Nephew," and viewing them side by side reveals no particular issues, sparing us the agony of waiting in line.
When discussing Li's paintings, we must address the concept of ink outline.
Ink outline, or baimiao, is a monochrome ink sketch used as a preliminary draft for large-scale murals, particularly in figure painting. Li's "Five Horses" exemplifies this light, delicate style, known in antiquity as "Wu Zhuang." Legend has it that Wu Daozi, the most renowned painter of the Tang dynasty, painted murals using light ink washes. Because his assistants dared not complete the work, it was passed down as a semi-finished piece. Later generations named this unintentional style "Wu Zhuang."