Pingsheng zhuangguan 平生壯觀

Pingsheng zhuangguan 平生壯觀 is a book on painting written during the early Qing period 清 (1644-1911) by Gu Fu 顧復 (fl. 1692), courtesy name Laihou 來侯, style Fang Jingshang Nong 方涇上農. He was a victim of the social turmoils at the end of the Ming period 明 (1368-1644) and actually hailed from a family in Changshu 常熟, Jiangsu 江蘇.

This book, with a length of 10 juan, is a catalogue of calligraphy and painting works. It introduces each art form separately: the first five juan focus mainly on calligraphic works, while the remaining five are dedicated to paintings. The structure resembles that of Wang Duo's 汪砢玉 (b. 1587) Shanhuwang 珊瑚網, Wu Sheng's 吳昇 (fl. 1712) Daguan lu 大觀錄, and Bian Yongyu's 卞永譽 (1645-1712) Shigutang shuhua huikao 式古堂書畫彙考. However, it differs in two ways. Firstly, before the sections on calligraphy and painting, the author has included short essays titled Fashu 法書 "On calligraphy", and Huitu 繪圖 "On painting" that discuss the origins of each art form and methods for appreciation and connoisseurship. Secondly, the table of contents is placed at the start of each juan instead of a single comprehensive list at the front of the book. Though this approach is not uncommon in catalogue-style works, it may cause some inconvenience for readers seeking specific entries. The works on which Gu comments range from Zhong Yao's 鍾繇 (151-230) Jizhi biao 季直表 to works of Dong Qichang 董其昌 (1555-1636).

The first line of each entry in the book lists the artist's name, with their style name in smaller characters beneath. The work's title appears on a separate line, in a different typeface and size from the main text, and is set flush with the following description. Each entry records the material and format of the piece, along with an evaluative description and appraisal. Inscriptions and signatures by the original artist are generally included, while poems or colophons added by later individuals are noted only by the contributor's name, without transcribing the content. In terms of content, this book more closely resembles An Qi's 安歧 Moyuan huiguan 墨綠彙觀 "Collected observations on ink paintings", though it is less detailed than An's work. As such, its value as a reference source is slightly inferior by comparison.

The Pingsheng zhuangguan takes a relatively informal approach to its entries. Each work is documented according to its specific circumstances, which gives the book a certain flexibility. However, overall, it is not as comprehensive as the more renowned works mentioned above. As it was never officially printed using woodblocks or movable type, the versions commonly available before the publication of the facsimile edition were scarce manuscript copies. Due to the high occurrence of transcription errors in such handwritten manuscripts, the facsimile edition includes a critical apparatus and textual corrections by Zhou Xingyi 周星詒. Thanks to this scholarly collation, the Pingsheng zhuangguan was finally made accessible to the public. There exists a finely copied manuscript from the early 19th century, produced by the Jiang family 蔣氏 (currently held by the Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Administration Committee, Zhejiang Sheng Wenwu Guanli Weiyuanhui 浙江省文物管理委員會). The version in circulation today is the 1962 facsimile edition published by the Shanghai People's Fine Arts Publishing House (Shanghai Renmin Meishu Chubanshe 上海人民美術出版社), which was based on the original manuscript and includes Zhou Xingyi's critical annotations.

The text can be found in the series Xuxiu siku quanshu 續修四庫全書.