About Sun Wei
Lived 900 – 1000. Sun Wei was a Chinese painter.
Sun Wei (; late 9th century) was a Chinese painter during the late Tang dynasty (618–907). He is known for figure painting and subjects drawn from literati culture, and is particularly associated with depictions of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove.
Life He was originally from Kuaiji Commandery.
In 880, widespread agrarian unrest, attributed in part to the heavy burden of taxation, culminated in a major uprising against the Tang court. By December of that year, rebel forces had advanced toward Chang'an (modern Xi'an), then the imperial capital.
The ensuing crisis caused significant disorder within the court. Emperor Xizong ordered an evacuation and fled the capital for Sichuan. According to later accounts, only palace attendants, imperial consorts, and the painter Sun Wei accompanied him.
This handscroll is considered an important example of late Tang figure painting and has been subject to later inscriptions, including one attributed to Emperor Huizong of the Song dynasty.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Sun Wei's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Sun Wei?
Chinese painter
When was Sun Wei born?
Sun Wei was born in 900.
When did Sun Wei die?
Sun Wei died in 1000.
What was Sun Wei's occupation?
Sun Wei was a painter.
What nationality was Sun Wei?
Sun Wei was Chinese.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Sun Wei. https://biography.guide/sun-wei-painter/
MLA: "Sun Wei." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/sun-wei-painter/.
Chicago: "Sun Wei." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/sun-wei-painter/.
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