Traditional chinese painting in twentieth century

The first decades of the twentieth century marked the end of the insular, tradition-bound Qing empire (1644–1911) and the strong entry of China into the modern age. Zhang, who became a most important connoisseur and collector, based his diverse painting styles on the firsthand study of early masterpieces, while Fu, an academic, learned about earlier works from reproductions and copies.

Fu Baoshi (1904–1965) and Zhang Daqian (1899–1983), both of whom studied in Japan and traveled abroad late in their lives, some powerful artists created hybrid styles that reflected a cosmopolitan attitude toward art and a willingness to modify inherited traditional through the incorporation of foreign idioms and techniques. Zhang, who became a important connoisseur and collector, based his diverse painting styles on the firsthand study of early masterpieces, while Fu, an academic, learned about earlier works from reproductions and copies.

With the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949, cultural activities came under the power of the state. Seeking to reform traditional paintings to make it "serve the people," the Communist government mandated that artists follow a "revolutionary realism" that would celebrate the heroism of the regular people or convey the majesty of the motherland.