Westerners seeking to appreciate and understand Chinese art have long felt the need of a fundamental book that explains both the technical means used by Chinese

Over thousands of years, the art of Chinese paintings has been refined into an exquisitely developed system of visual representation. But until the publication

"Together the text and illustrations gradually reveal many of the major themes and characteristics of Chinese painting. To "read" these works is to enter a dial

Traditional Chinese painting is one of the purest art forms in existence, continuing as it does the techniques and themes that have been employed over centuries

Written by a team of eminent international scholars, this book is the first to recount the history of Chinese painting over a span of some 3000 years.