Fang's Ink Manual and Aesthetic Paradigms in the Ming Dynasty

Fang's Ink Manual serves as both a visual text co-constructed by folk craftsmanship and literati culture and a paradigm for the literalization of Huizhou woodblock prints. While shifting its focus from commercial purposes to a form-oriented visual production, the manual, during the Ming Dynasty, gave rise to a new aesthetic paradigm characterized by refined elegance and a taste for the antique. This paradigm not only influenced the overall stylistic transformation of Huizhou woodblock prints but also reinforced the close connection between Huizhou woodblock prints and the aesthetic paradigms of the Ming Dynasty. The study of Fang's Ink Manual provides valuable insights into the cultural construction of visual production in the development of Huizhou woodblock prints and a reevaluation of the aesthetic paradigms of the Ming Dynasty.