Ink and wash painting, one of the unique traditional art forms of
China, is representative of Chinese painting. It began around the
time of the Tang Dynasty, and then prospered in the Song and
Yuan dynasties. With a history of over one thousand years, it has
experienced constant development, improvement and perfection. The tools and materials used to create ink and wash painting, i.e. brushes, rice paper, and ink, are characteristic of Chinese culture and closely related to the features of the paintings. For example,
the mixing of water and ink creates different shades of dryness,
wetness, thickness and thinness. The integration and infiltration
of water, ink, and rice paper enables
such paintings to convey
rich images, and hence to achieve unique aesthetic effects. Ink
and wash painting holds a high status in the history of Chinese
painting, and it is even regarded as the criterion to evaluate the artistic level of Oriental paintings.
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Unit four
丽江地处于云南省西北部，境内多山。丽江古城坐落在玉龙
雪山脚下，是一座风景秀丽的历史文化名城，也是我国保存
完好的少数民族古城之一。丽江古城始建于南宋，距今约有
800 年的历史。丽江不仅历史悠久，而且民族众多，少数民族人口占全区人口的半数以上。随着丽江旅游业的发展，到
1997 年 12 月，丽丽江古城观光游览的中外游客日益增多。
江古城申报世界文化遗产获得成功，填补了中国在世界文化
遗产中无历史文化名称的空白。
Lijiang is a mountainous city in northwest Yunnan Province. The old town of Lijiang, located at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow
Mountain, is a town of scenic beauty and known for its history and culture. It is also a
well-preserved old town with features of
ethnic minorities. The construction work of the old town was
started from the Southern Song Dynasty about 800 years from now. Not only does Lijiang boast a long history, but also it boasts
many ethnic minorities who make up over a half of the total
population in the region. With the booming of Lijiang tourism, the old town of Lijiang is receiving a