Brief and unremarkable in terms of military activity
and economic progress, this period is nonetheless noteworthy
in terms of two artistic advances. First, as porcelain technique continued
to develop, ceramists introduced so-called whiteware, a thin, strong "china" with
a pure white glaze. Second, a distinctive style of painting called "monumental
ink landscape" dominated. Inspired by the Taoist notion that mountains
were essentially sacred pillars connecting heaven with earth, artists,
using black ink on silk, depicted the natural world as the source of harmony
and enlightenment.
