A significant transformation happened to Chinese mountain-and-water painting around the Song and Yuan Dynasties.An analysis of the change in subject and aesthetic realm from the perspective of Zen reveals: First,the subjects turned far from the madding crowd.Second,the sense of actuality in the aesthetic realm tended to be replaced by virtuality.Third,it was emphasized that artists should conduct self-cultivation like a devout religious believer through their painting behaviour and reduce the sense of materiality in their paintings.
