清高宗弘历（1711-1799）即乾隆皇帝，在其七十五岁时曾说：“余临御五十年，凡举二大事：一曰西师、一曰南巡。”中国国家博物馆庋藏之《乾隆南巡图》即描绘乾隆十六年（1751）他第一次南巡的巨幅历史纪实性画卷，而具体负责此项绘画工程的宫廷画师正是一位苏州人——徐扬。

Hongli (1711-1799), or emperor Qianlong (Gaozong) of the Qing Dynasty, said at age of 75, “During the 50 years of my reign, I’ve totally completed two major events, one was the military marches to the west, the other was the inspection tours to the south.” “Emperor Qianlong’s Inspection Tour to the South”, which collected by National Museum of China, is a large-sized handscroll depicting the historic event of emperor Qianlong’s first inspection tour to the south in the 16th year of his reign (1751). Xu Yang, the court painter in charge of the painting project, was a native of Suzhou.

 2006年，贝聿铭先生设计的苏州博物馆于金秋十月隆重开幕。作为开幕献礼之一的《姑苏繁华图》长卷首次回苏“省亲”，这件收藏于辽宁省博物馆的名作亦出自徐扬之手。而今，苏州博物馆西馆建成开放之际，徐扬《乾隆南巡图》第六卷《驻跸姑苏》在西馆精彩亮相，不啻是春到江南的又一次视觉盛会。

When Suzhou Museum designed by Mr. Ieoh Ming Pei was grandly opened in the autumn of 2006, the long scroll of “Suzhou’s Golden Age”, which was painted by Xu Yang and collected by Liaoning Provincial Museum, returned to Suzhou(its birthplace) for the first time, as one of the presents for the opening ceremony. Now, on the occasion of the completion and opening of Suzhou Museum West, “Stopover at Gusu”, the sixth scroll of “Emperor Qianlong’s Inspection Tour to the South” by Xu Yang, is on display in Suzhou Museum West, presenting another visual feast of spring in Jiangnan.

《乾隆南巡图》第六卷《驻跸姑苏》运用传统绘画的写实长卷形式和移步换景的散点透视技法，结合乾隆御制诗意，融诗、书、画于一体，展现了“乾隆下江南”过程中省方问俗、察吏安民、游览湖山的细节。构图时画家以大运河为线索，分段连续地展现了北望亭、浒墅关、枫桥、虎丘、阊门、万年桥一带升平欢乐的祥和景象，经胥门入苏城，至织造署行宫结束。沿途街衢巷道纵横参错、屋舍楼台鳞次栉比，官民士绅、僧道商贾、妇孺老少等形象，栩栩如生，活跃其间。可以说，该卷以“现实主义”的手法，将两百多年前姑苏这一全国最为著名的工商都会之盛世荣华，全方位、多角度、真实地展现出来，堪称苏州历史的最佳见证。

In “Stopover at Gusu”, the painter adopted long scroll that was typical for traditional realistic painting and used scattered perspective technique to portray different views from different perspectives. It integrated emperor Qianlong’s poems and calligraphy into the painting and represented the emperor’s care for the local folk customs, officials, commons and his admiration for the southern scenery in great details. With the Grand Canal as the main clue, the painter continuously depicted the happy and harmonious scenes at Beiwangting, Hushuguang, Fengqiao, Huqiu, Changmen and Wannianqiao section by section, on the journey from Xumen Gate to emperor’s palace at Suzhou Textile Bureau. The painting elaborately rendered the crisscrossed lanes and rows upon rows of houses as well as the images of the officers, commons, scholars and gentles, monks, Taoist, merchants, women and children, the old and the young on the way. Through realistic type of painting, the handscroll comprehensively represented the prosperity of Suzhou, which was China’s most famous industrial and commercial metropolis two hundred years ago from multiple perspectives and serves as the best witness of Suzhou’s history.

在此，特别感谢中国国家博物馆的鼎力支持。

Finally, we specially extend our gratitude for the great supports from National Museum of China.