The painting and inscribed poems celebrate the scenic splendors of Suzhou. As he writes in his accompanying poem, Wen Congchang depicted Chang Gate and the ships that sailed on the river below, the sight of the battlements in the glow of sunset, and men on Orchid Bridge looking out over the horizon. His relatives inscribed additional poems lauding the same lovely views.
These men were part of one of the most cultured families in Suzhou, the relatives of Wen Zhengming (1470-1559). Wen Congchang was the grandson of Wen Boren, who was Wen Zhengming's nephew; Wen Zhenheng and Wen Congjian were both great grandsons of Wen Zhengming; and Wen Qianguang and Wen Chongguang were brothers within the same clan.
The art dealer Jean-Pierre Dubosc was one of the first connoisseurs of Chinese paintings in the West to appreciate paintings from the Ming and Qing dynasties, rather than favoring only very early works. His first wife was the daughter of C.T. Loo, and Dubosc later was instrumental in helping to build many public and private Chinese art collections in Europe and the United States.