Conclusion
Guangdong painting during the Qing dynasty exhibited a distinct trajectory of development across different periods. It progressed from the integration of tradition and untrammelled scholar-hermit aesthetics in the early Qing, through the diverse styles of the mid-Qing, to the late-Qing dominance of bird-and-flower paintings by Ju Chao and Ju Lian, who mastered the water-infusion (zhuangshui) and powder-infusion (zhuangfen) techniques. From the late Qing period onwards, disciples of Ju Lian, including Gao Jianfu and Chen Shuren, went to study in Japan. This experience catalysed a radical transformation in their artistic styles; by synthesising Chinese and Western traditions, they founded the Lingnan School of Painting, which emerged as one of the most significant artistic movements in twentieth-century Chinese art history. A new chapter was thus opened for Guangdong painting. Looking back over three centuries, these artistic masterpieces from various stages and genres allow us to perceive the evolutionary path of Guangdong painting – one that continuously innovates upon tradition to usher in an era of reform and brilliance.