Early Western Etchings Study, Circulating In The Chinese History

How etching came to China and how it became popular is a matter of every artist's concern and an issue they are continuously studying. As a postgraduate majoring in etching, I am the same interested in it. Having found some related materials, I would like to present my views on this issue historically.In the Ming and Qing dynasties, i. e. from the emperor Shen Zong's reign (1573-1620) called Wanli, in Ming dynasty, to Gao Zong's reign (1736-1795) called Qianlong in Qing dynasty , which amounts to over 200 years, the cultural communication between China and Western countries was very active. It was just during this period that the early Western painting and drypoint spread across China. The main agents of cultural communication during that period were Boanerges from Europe. Due to the great power of Ming and Qing dynasties and China's long-lasting native culture, they adopted an adaptive strategy "to convince the local people academically" . Thus intuitionistic arts like drypoint and painting played an important role. (1) Part of their strategies is to make every effort to develop the royalty' s interest in various things from the West and to make the proud Chinese deeply impressed by the significant achievements of science and art made in Europe. (2) Among the European arts, the drypoint received the most appreciation. In this aspect, the Christians were indispensable.The earlier etching spread in China during that period was constrained to Western religion issues, and later, Boanerges brought the skills to China, and made a number of works presenting the Chinese royalty life. Thus, tracing along these Boanerges' tracks, from the south to the north (Zhaoqin, Shaozhou, Nanchang, Nanjing, Beijing), from the folk to the royal, we can make a drafted study about the adoption, spread, and adaptation of drypoint in China.The spread and adaptation of drypoint in China opened a window for the communication between China and European countries at that time, and became a most important part of cultural communication, which influenced, to some degree, the latter arrival of Western brushwork in China.