History of Chinese Art

Author: Zheng Chang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-06
Features: Zheng Chang first divided the history of Chinese art into four periods; from the remote antiquity through the Tang, Yu, and Three Dynasties to the Qin and Han; from the Sui and Tang Five Dynasties to the Song, as the "prosperous era"; and from the Yuan to the Qing, as the "stagnant era." This book concisely elaborates on the essence of art, its various aspects, and the outline of its development, with many insightful remarks, making it a worthwhile book to read and reflect upon. However, to say that Reed's discussion of Chinese art is entirely accurate would be excessive. Professor Zheng Chang divided the history of Chinese art into four periods: from the remote antiquity through the Tang, Yu, and Three Dynasties to the Qin and Han, as the "growth era"; the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, as the "mixed era"; from the Sui and Tang Five Dynasties to the Song, as the "prosperous era"; and from the Yuan to the Qing, as the "stagnant era."
Reasons to Read This Book: In 1929, Professor Zheng Chang compiled over 2,000 specialized works on Chinese art, in addition to Wen Zhao Tong's "Catalog of Paintings and Calligraphy Studies Throughout History," which included 814 works from the Eastern Jin to the Qing Dynasty. It is known that no other nation in the world can match China in terms of the depth of its aesthetic theory and the quantity of its writings. "Chinese" is a unique realm. Chinese art, through continuous but limited interactions with foreign civilizations, has gradually ascended to the pinnacle of this realm.
Recommended for the Following Groups: Artists or art enthusiasts, experts or enthusiasts in the history of Sino-Western cultural exchange, Westerners who do not promote but at least do not completely deny Chinese culture, and students at all levels.