Art in a Class of Its Own: Fenggu in Painting

The Chinese painting dates back four to five thousand years to the period before the Xia dynasty, when its seeds began to sprout. Ancient history recorded Yellow Emperor dyeing clothes and Emperor Shun painting the attire. The tradition was passed down to the Xia and Shang dynasties, when people were very particular about applying colors. In the Zhou dynasty, there were officials devoted to the art of painting, and its techniques had far progressed. Chinese painting was originally tied to religious activities such as exorcism and sacrifices, as well as productive labor.