Guo Ziyi (697-781) was a Chinese general who loyally and tirelessly servied four successive Tang-Dynasty emperors. The Tang empire might well have collapsed had it not been for General Guo's military and diplomatic skills. For thirty years he was able to suppress almost constant internal revolts and to keep at bay the nomads who threatened China's northern and western borders by playing one tribe against the other.

For his successes General Guo was awarded the rank of Prince by Emperor Ming Huang and lived in lavish retirement until his death at the age of eighty-four. He came to personify the ideal Confucian official, selflessly serving his superiors and enjoying the rewards bestowed on him in a contented old age.

In the Choson court the Guo Ziyi model perfectly symbolized its Confucian ideals. Screen paintings illustrating scenes from his life served a didactic purpose and also allowed for the expression of Choson admiration for and imitation of Ming-Dynasty Chinese imagery.

In this screen Guo Ziyi is represented as a joyful old man attended in his palace by his large family. He is said to have had so many grandchildren and great-grandchildren that he could not begin to remember their names, opting to nod each time a child came forward to pay his respects. In other pavilions and gardens of Guo's palace, elegant feasts and entertainments are taking place. The family and guests are dressed in imaginary Tang court costumes.

Like this example, Choson court paintings were executed with brilliant, expensive mineral pigments (tang-chae, Chinese colors) in a vivid display of decorative splendor.