Dai Jin

Dai failed to make a name for himself in the capital and returned to Qiantang to resume his study of painting, which he had probably begun with a local Zhejiang artisan.

His plans were thwarted, however, by the envy of established painters, in particular Xie Huan (fl c. 1368–1435), a favorite artist and adviser to the Xuande Emperor, who claimed to detect anti-government bias in Dai's works.

Yuan dynasty (1279–1368) artists had sometimes painted scholars dressed as fishermen, implying thereby that the educated classes deliberately avoided service under their Mongol rulers.

Xie adduced as evidence another of Dai's works, Seven Worthies Passing the Barrier (c. 1425–35; untraced), which was based on an old tale (gushi) recounting the flight of seven men from a tumultuous and badly ruled state.

The Xuande Emperor agreed with Xie, and according to scholar Lang Ying, the eunuch responsible for recommending Dai was executed.