The Influence That Chinese Painters And Academicians Who Had Been To Japan To Study At The End Of Qing Dynasty And The Early Of Republic Of China Exerted On China's Contemporary Fine Arts

Chinese painters and academicians studying abroad was a particular phenomenon at the first half of 20th century in China's Fine Arts History. Most of them went to Japan and later exerted widespread influence on Chi-na. They chose to go to Japan as Japan succeeded in prospering by learning from the west. They not only wanted to learn advanced culture and technology, but also wanted to learn how to develop advanced culture and technology. That's why Lu Xun and Guo Moruo changed their original plan and went to Japan. The process of learning was no copying other countries mode. A painful process of thinking and choosing was involved. That's why those who had been to Japan didn't follow the western style, like Xu Bei-hong and Lin Fengmian (who had been to France ) did, rather they returned to the traditional path of Chinese painting. This return had deep historical, intellectual and cultural roots, which are explored in this paper.