Jing County → Taohuatan (Peach Blossom Pond)

Theme of the Day

Mist over Peach Blossom Pond — Ink Painting of Southern Water Landscapes

Learning Objectives:

• Learn techniques for depicting water surfaces using blank space, soft ink washes, and reflected images, while mastering the atmospheric rendering of morning mist.
• Draw inspiration from the poetry of Li Bai to express the poetic mood of Jiangnan's water towns through ink painting.
• Complete two small plein-air landscape studies, including:
• • A traditional black-canopied boat
  • Whitewashed riverside buildings with iconic horse-head walls
• Early morning sketching beside the mist-covered pond during the quiet "golden hour," including rapid sketches of:
• • Wenchang Pavilion
  • Tage Pavilion
  • The surrounding waterfront scenery

Taohuatan → Chengkan Ancient Village

Theme of the Day

The Aesthetics of the Eight-Trigram Village — Waterways and Huizhou Architecture

Learning Objectives:

• Understand Chengkan's ancient Feng Shui and I Ching (Book of Changes) layout, while studying perspective in compositions combining lakes, stone bridges, and Huizhou horsehead walls.
• Practice confident ink linework to capture the essential forms of traditional Huizhou residences.
• Complete the first panoramic ink painting draft of Yongxing Lake.

Full Day in Chengkan

The Refinement of Huizhou Carving — Fine-Line (Gongbi) Painting Workshop

Theme of the Day

Architectural Line Drawing and Fine Painting

Learning Objectives:

• Master the expressive qualities of gongbi linework, including variations in pressure, rhythm, and line thickness, while becoming proficient in using sized Xuan paper and outline brushes.
• Carefully render the intricate details of wood carving, brick carving, and stone carving, completing one gongbi study of an ancestral hall.
• Understand the differences between realistic (gongbi) painting and freehand (xieyi) ink painting in terms of line quality and color application.
• Spend the early morning exploring Chengkan's quiet ancient alleys, collecting reference sketches of lattice windows, carved doors, and traditional architectural details.
• Participate in a full-day professional workshop focused on on-site sketching of the exquisite wood carvings in Luodongshu Ancestral Hall and Baolun Pavilion.

Full Day in Chengkan

Panoramic Composition of the Eight-Trigram Village — Comprehensive Freehand Ink Painting

Theme of the Day

Integrating the Ancient Village into a Complete Freehand Ink Landscape

Learning Objectives:

• Combine the precision of gongbi linework with expressive ink washes to complete a panoramic Chinese painting of Chengkan Ancient Village.
• Learn to control ink values to portray two different atmospheres:
• • Misty morning
  • Bright sunny weather
• Integrate architecture, waterways, and vegetation into a unified composition with balanced layers of solidity and emptiness.
• Begin the day's work from the scenic overlook, producing an initial panoramic composition of the entire Eight-Trigram Village.
• Spend the remainder of the day creating a comprehensive ink painting under one-on-one guidance covering composition, brushwork, and the traditional concept of the "Five Values of Ink."

Chengkan → She County

Theme of the Day

Huizhou Ink Forged Through a Thousand Hammer Blows — Intangible Heritage Workshop on Traditional Ink Making

Learning Objectives:

• Study every stage of traditional Huizhou ink production, including:
• • Preparing pine soot and oil soot
  • Refining the soot
  • Repeated hammering
  • Molding
  • Applying gold decoration
  • Participants will also learn the different tonal qualities produced by pine-soot ink and oil-soot ink in Chinese painting.
• Experience the traditional process firsthand by hammering an ink stick and decorating it with gold, creating a personal commemorative ink cake.
• Test the finished ink on Xuan paper, exploring the traditional Five Ink Colors:
• • Dense (浓)
  • Light (淡)
  • Dry (干)
  • Wet (湿)
  • Burnt/Scorched (焦)
  • These exercises demonstrate the remarkable tonal richness achievable with a single black ink.

She County

She Inkstone Workshop – Longwei Inkstone Stone

Completing the Journey Through the Four Treasures of the Scholar's Studio

Theme of the Day

Inkstones that Contain Mountains and Rivers — The Aesthetics of She Inkstone Carving

This day completes the exploration of the Four Treasures of the Scholar's Studio (brush, ink, paper, and inkstone), bringing together all the traditional crafts studied during the tour.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn to identify the natural textures and patterns of Longwei inkstone stone, the finest material used for She inkstones, and understand how an inkstone grinds and stores ink.
• Experience shallow relief carving on a traditional inkstone, learning how the natural grain of the stone influences carving techniques and artistic design.
• Review and consolidate the knowledge gained about all four traditional scholarly arts, completing a comprehensive study journal.

Morning – She County

Yuliang Dam

Ink Painting of a Thousand-Year-Old Water Conservancy Landscape

Theme of the Day

Mist Above the Ancient Dam — Large-Scale River Landscape Sketching on the Xin'an River

Learning Objectives:

• Learn techniques for depicting expansive water surfaces, flowing rivers, ancient stone dams, and moving water using expressive ink washes, while mastering the composition of broad river landscapes.
• Carefully render the texture of the thousand-year-old bluestone dam together with the lively atmosphere of the historic riverside wharf.

Afternoon

• Yangwen Brush Workshop
• Traditional Huizhou Brush-Making Experience

Study Theme

Learn the traditional craftsmanship behind the making of the Huizhou writing brush, appreciating the meticulous skill required to create one of China's Four Treasures of the Scholar's Studio.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn the history of the Huizhou brush, the standards for selecting raw materials, and its cultural significance.
• Understand the essential stages of traditional brush making, including:
• • Selecting materials
  • Soaking and arranging the hairs
  • Tying the brush head
  • Assembling the handle
  • Final shaping and inspection
• Make your own traditional Chinese brush to take home.
• Experience firsthand the patience, precision, and craftsmanship involved in handmade brush production.

Theme of the Day

Gathering the Spirit of Huizhou — Anhui China Huizhou Culture Museum

Learning Objectives:

Learning Objectives:

• Gain a comprehensive understanding of the thousand-year artistic traditions of Huizhou architecture, decorative carving, painting, and decorative arts, connecting everything learned during the previous nine days of field study and painting.
• Examine museum collections—including historical artifacts, classical paintings, and architectural components—to understand the aesthetic foundations of southern Anhui ink painting:
• • White walls
  • Dark grey tiled roofs
  • Elegant use of negative space
  • Restrained tonal harmony
• Complete the intellectual journey of the ten-day study program, integrating practical experience with deeper artistic understanding.
• Elevate artistic appreciation by learning to "read" the landscape, traditional architecture, brushwork, and the cultural heritage of Huizhou.

Tunxi → Tunxi Old Street → Final Exhibition → Return to Shanghai

Theme of the Day

The Complete Landscape of Southern Anhui — Final Graduation Project

Learning Objectives:

• Integrate everything learned during the study tour—including Xuan paper, Huizhou ink, She inkstones, ancient villages, historic dams, rivers, and landscapes—into one complete panoramic ink painting.
• Participate in a group critique in which instructors and students review all sketches and paintings completed during the course, summarizing a complete creative workflow for painting the landscapes of southern Anhui.
• Reflect on the artistic relationship between the Four Treasures of the Scholar's Studio and traditional Jiangnan landscape painting, completing a written study summary.
• Present the final artwork, participate in a closing discussion and reflection session, receive commemorative gifts related to the Four Treasures of the Scholar's Studio, and depart by coach for Shanghai at 2:00 PM.