Wang Guowei, Renjian Cihua, Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 1998.

Zong Baihua, Aesthetic Wanderings, Shanghai People's Publishing House, 1981.

Fan Di'an, "Hu Wei: Ambitions of an Era and Visual Magnificence," Art Observation, Issue 1, 2021.

Ibid[3].

Wu Xing/the Five Elements, also known as the Theory of the Five Elements, is a fundamental framework for understanding the world. The meaning of the Five Elements encompasses five basic dynamic processes derived from the interplay of Yin and Yang: Metal (representing transformation and regulation), Wood (representing growth and flexibility), Water (representing downward flow and nourishment), Fire (representing upward movement and intensity), and Earth (representing cultivation and fertility). Chinese philosophers use the Five Elements theory to explain the formation of all things in the universe and their interrelations.

Ibid[3].

Ibid[3].

"Sparse enough for a horse to gallop through, dense enough that not even the wind can pass through" refers to the varying density in brushstrokes in calligraphy. In areas where the strokes are sparse, one could imagine a horse running freely, while in areas where the strokes are dense, even the wind is unable to penetrate.

"The new replaces the old, and each day the sun rises without pause," this phrase comes from Wang Fuzhi, a thinker from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. It means that new things will replace the old, and then the new will itself become old, constantly replaced and renewed, much like the sun setting and rising again. This cycle of change reflects that the progress of new and old will never stagnate with the passage of time.

Yang Jiecang, "'Art Is Meaningful, Art Saved My Life,'" Southern People Weekly, Issue 38, 2019.