Since traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy have much in common in tools and brushes, they are closely related to each other. The ancient people had already had the theory of “painting and calligraphy share the same origin”. When scholar artists were dominant in Yuan Dynasty, they also believed the concept that painting and calligraphy shared the same origin and advocated study painting by starting from calligraphy. The relationship between poem and painting formed with the gradually increasing influence of literature upon painting. The melting of poem and painting was guided by scholars and officials, which also affected the art academy. Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty once tested the artist with poems to see whether the artist could describe the wonderful artistic conception in the poems.

Since the Song Dynasty, a few artists began to sign or stamp at the inconspicuous corner of the painting. By the time when scholar painting was popular in the Yuan Dynasty, scholars wanted to demonstrate their calligraphy and articles, so they added relevant inscription or poems after the signature in the conspicuous place. The signature and painting formed a new combined relationship. The stamping of artists became a convention. Besides poem, calligraphy and painting, seal art also came into being, which gave traditional Chinese painting more abundant artistic connotation.

As the time goes on, the artistic contents and forms of traditional Chinese painting are also changing. Esp. after “May 4th Movement” in 1919, western paintings poured in. Traditional Chinese painting absorbed many western artistic skills with its broad bosom, enriching the expressiveness of traditional Chinese painting. Thanks to its unique system in world art field, it lets out peculiar brilliance in the artistic garden of world art with diversified arts.