After the fall of the Southern Song capital in 1275 to Mongol forces, Qian Xuan chose to live as an yimin, a "leftover citizen" of the Song dynasty (960-1279). Using an archaistic "blue-and-green" painting style, the artist deliberately employed a primitive manner to allude to a distant paridisial realm.

Watching Geese illustrates the story of Wang Xizhi (ca. 303–ca. 361), a calligraphy master of legendary fame who was said to derive inspiration from natural forms, such as the graceful neck of geese. The artist's poem reads:

   How pleasant are the elegant bamboo and trees!
   In a peaceful pavilion, relaxing with bare stomach, how wonderful it must feel!
   Writing the Daodejing [The Way and Its Power] for a Daoist Friend,
   He leaves behind a romantic image—a man who loves geese.

Many members of the Chinese educated elite, especially those who had served in the Song-dynasty government, were loath to work for the new Mongol rulers of the Yuan dynasty. Similarly, the Mongols were reluctant to trust these men and usually preferred to appoint proven allies of other ethnic groups to official posts. As a result, many Chinese literati had much leisure time to cultivate their character and to pursue artistic interests. They frequently used the visual and literary arts to express, often in a subtle way, their sorrow over their country’s fate and wish to escape to a happier time or place. In response to China’s conquest by foreign "barbarians," Qian Xuan’s evocation of an ancient "culture hero" and an earlier "golden age" of Chinese art underscores his faith in the enduring qualities of Chinese tradition at a time when China’s cultural heritage seemed in jeopardy.