Manual of Painting, Opening Volume

Preface V

It is also unlike the historical records of Luling Luling refers to the home of the great Song scholar Ouyang Xiu; the author is comparing the clarity and rigor of this manual to the highest standards of traditional Chinese historiography., yet it clarifies the records. The Chronicle of Stepping Through History at West Lake was expanded by Chen Wozi Chen Zilong (1608–1647), a renowned Ming Dynasty poet and scholar-official known by the pseudonym Wozi. during the time he lived upon the lake. He sought out and gathered the works of those who were highly skilled in the traditional arts.

In that compilation, the manuals for the Orchid, the Bamboo, the Plum, and the Chrysanthemum Known as the "Four Gentlemen" (Sijunzi), these plants represent the four seasons and the virtues of the scholar-official. were settled as the first part. Following these, the manuals for Mountain Flowers, Secluded Plants, as well as the categories of Insects and Birds Literally "Feathers and Plumes." were organized into a subsequent volume. This arrangement is most appropriate.

Furthermore, at the very beginning of the work, there are various treatises and theories recorded that surpass all other previous discussions...