Fong pointed out in his book that a major difference between Chinese and Western art history lies in their historical uses of the past. In Chinese art history, there is no one period in particular that could be called the most classical. There did not exist a canonized standard of classical beauty in Chinese aesthetics. Though artists do contemplate and meditate on past history and antique art works, their purpose was not at all (is there a more formal way to say not at all?) to imitate the archaic style, but to grasp its essence and create their own innovative style.
In the time of political and psychological turmoil of the Late Northern Sung Dynasty, the meritocratic, intellectual scholar-officials secluded from their worldly affairs in resistance to the dissatisfying political climate. As amateur scholarly painters, they rebelled from the imperial style, creating a radical reform and innovation in painting. What they acquired from the ancient art works, is neither the embedded emotion nor the gestures, but a metaphysical principle that transcends the realm of visual art. This principle, as Fong explains, lies in the extolment of simplicity. The scholar-artists connected it with Taoist and Buddhist philosophies, revering the Tao, which is "the way of nature--effortless, free, and 'of itself so'".
