<P> Artists from the Han (206 BC--220 AD) to the Tang (618--906) dynasties mainly painted the human figure . Much of what we know of early Chinese figure painting comes from burial sites, where paintings were preserved on silk banners, lacquered objects, and tomb walls . Many early tomb paintings were meant to protect the dead or help their souls to get to paradise . Others illustrated the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius or showed scenes of daily life . </P> <P> During the Six Dynasties period (220--589), people began to appreciate painting for its own beauty and to write about art . From this time we begin to learn about individual artists, such as Gu Kaizhi . Even when these artists illustrated Confucian moral themes--such as the proper behavior of a wife to her husband or of children to their parents--they tried to make the figures graceful . </P> <P> The "Six principles of Chinese painting" were established by Xie He, a writer, art historian and critic in 5th century China, in "Six points to consider when judging a painting" (繪畫 六法, Pinyin: Huìhuà Liùfǎ), taken from the preface to his book "The Record of the Classification of Old Painters" (古 畫 品 錄; Pinyin: Gǔhuà Pǐnlù). Keep in mind that this was written circa 550 CE and refers to "old" and "ancient" practices . The six elements that define a painting are: </P> <Ol> <Li> "Spirit Resonance", or vitality, which refers to the flow of energy that encompasses theme, work, and artist . Xie He said that without Spirit Resonance, there was no need to look further . </Li> <Li> "Bone Method", or the way of using the brush, refers not only to texture and brush stroke, but to the close link between handwriting and personality . In his day, the art of calligraphy was inseparable from painting . </Li> <Li> "Correspondence to the Object", or the depicting of form, which would include shape and line . </Li> <Li> "Suitability to Type", or the application of color, including layers, value, and tone . </Li> <Li> "Division and Planning", or placing and arrangement, corresponding to composition, space, and depth . </Li> <Li> "Transmission by Copying", or the copying of models, not from life only but also from the works of antiquity . </Li> </Ol>

What is the important features of chinese paintings