Chinese painting can be dated back to prehistoric times and the earliest paintings of art were found on pottery pieces unearthed from several early civilizations in Yellow River Valley. The book introduces some important types of Chinese painting such as Dunhuang cave paintings, lucid mountains and remote streams, scholar paintings, and modern Chinese paintings. It also discusses in detail the paintings of some great ancient Chinese painters such as Gu Kaizhi, Wu Daozi and Yan Liben. There are a number of pictures in the book.
Lin Ci （1958——2009）, original name ZhangQian, graduated from the Zhejiang Academyof Art and China Art Research Institute, wherehe earned an M.A. degree. He was a researchfellow with China Art Research Institute,specializing in art history and visual arts.His major books include Accordion PleatedSkirts, Gospel Valley, and Mango Trees. Hismonograph Photography will soon be publishedby SDX Joint Publishing Company.
The Northern Song Dynasty unified the country, endingthe turmoil caused by feudal states that tore the nation apartand ushering in a period of social stability. As commerce andthe handicraft industry underwent rapid development, urbancivilization flourished. Zhao Ji, the eighth emperor of the NorthernSong Dynasty otherwise known as Huizong, went down in historyfor his political incompetence and obsession with art. When theNorthern Song was overthrown by the Jin Dynasty of the northernnomads in 1127, emperor Huizong and his son Zhao Heng, oremperor Qinzong, were captured and jailed by the invaders anddied miserably years later. After the fall of the Northern SongDynasty, the imperial court retreated to the south where theyestablished the Southern Song Dynasty （1127-1279） with Lin'anas the capital city. Immigrants from the north exploited theresourceful south and together with the locals created a period ofsustained economic and cultural developments. Bianliang （Kaifeng,Henan province） and Lin'an （Hangzhou, Zhejiang province）,respective capitals of the Northern Song Dynasty and theSouthern Song Dynasty, were both prosperous commercial cities.
