Using a mouse:

Click anywhere on the image to zoom in. Hold the mouse button down and drag to move around the image, or click the control buttons at the bottom of the image window to zoom in, zoom out or pan around.

Use the

button to return to the default view.

Use the

button to view full screen (not in Flash version).

Use the navigator in the top left corner to move around the image once zoomed in - just click inside the area highlighted in red and drag with your mouse to the section you'd like to view.

Alternative keyboard shortcuts:

Zoom in = Shift key
Zoom out = CTRL key
Pan left = left arrow key
Pan right = right arrow key
Pan up = up arrow key
Pan down = down arrow key
Reset = ESC key

L Series (L1-L10)

L series is remarkable for two reasons. First, it serves as a useful catalog of the stories that inform the popular notion of hell. Each of the ten scrolls alludes to at least one narrative, some of which are better known (such as Taizong visiting hell or Mulian rescuing his mother there) and others less so (such as the punishment of the rebellious Empress Lü, wife of the Han Dynasty's founder). Second, the costuming and cosmetics seem to evoke operatic gestures, which should not be entirely surprising as many of the narratives informing hell are preserved through operas. The seventh hell is a particularly good example with the whited faces, the exaggerated eyebrows and the elaborate hats.

Liu Quan and his wife

According to Chap. 11 of The journey west, Emperor Taizong promised southern melons to Yama in the underworld, and Liu Quan, out of shame for having caused his wife's suicide, volunteered to take poison and bring the melons to Yama. Yama got his melons, and Liu Quan was reunited with his wife, the couple then returning to the world of the living. For other depictions of Liu Quan and his melons, see I05 and B03.