Li Song (1166-1243), an outstanding painter in the Southern Song Dynasty, was born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. He came from an ordinary background and used to be a carpenter, but under the guidance of fate, he became the adopted son of Li Congxun, a painter at the academy, and since then he has embarked on the road of painting. Li Congxun personally taught him painting techniques, which made him have extraordinary attainments in figure and Taoist painting, especially boundary painting, which can be called a masterpiece. In the three dynasties of Guangzong, Ningzong, and Lizong, he served as the edict of the painting academy and painted a large number of paintings for the court. Li Song's work covers a wide range of subjects, with a particular focus on the lives of the lower classes. With delicate brushstrokes, he depicts works that depict the labor life of peasants, such as "Crossing the Ox in the Spring River" and "Spring Society", as well as paintings that reflect the customs and folk feelings, such as the group painting "Picture of Serving the Field". Among them, "The Merchant" is one of his masterpieces, showing the scene of the merchant walking through the streets and alleys, vividly showing the social style of the Southern Song Dynasty. In addition to the scrolls in the Palace Museum's collection, other small works are in the collections of the National Palace Museum in Taipei, the Nelson Museum of Art at the Akon Museum in Kansas, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Li Song not only has outstanding achievements in figure painting, but his landscape paintings also have extremely high artistic value. For example, his works such as "Night Lake", "Water Palace", "Tide Viewing", and "West Lake" fully demonstrate his exquisite skills and deep understanding of landscape painting. With its majestic momentum and delicate brushstrokes, "Immortal Mountain Yaotaotu" perfectly combines the beauty of nature with humanistic emotions. It is worth mentioning that Li Song's "Skeleton Fantasy Play" has left a mystery for art history with its profound meaning and mysterious sense that is not easy to be understood. The work is based on the theme of skeletons, and through surreal expressions, it provokes people to think about life and death. Li Song expresses his unique feelings and attitudes towards life through painting, so that the viewer can feel his profound inner world while appreciating the paintings. To sum up, Li Song is a versatile and highly skilled painter. His works not only show the social style and humanistic spirit of the Southern Song Dynasty, but also reflect the painter's own unique insights and profound understanding of life. In the history of painting, he left a strong mark on his outstanding technique and unique style. 
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