Dong Qichang (1555-1636), courtesy name Xuanzai, also known as Sibai and Xiangguang Jushi, was a native of Huating, Songjiang (now Maqiao, Minhang District, Shanghai), and was a calligrapher and painter of the Ming Dynasty. In the 17th year of Wanli's reign, he was a Jinshi and was awarded the title of Editor of the Hanlin Academy. He was promoted to Minister of Rites in Nanjing and was given the posthumous title of "Wenmin" after his death.
Dong Qichang is good at painting landscapes, learning from Dong Yuan, Ju Ran, Huang Gongwang, and Ni Zan. His brushwork is elegant and neutral, quiet and spacious; Elegant. He uses Zen Buddhism as a metaphor for painting and advocates the "North and South School" theory. He is an outstanding representative of the "Huating School" and has the beauty of "face, bones and posture". His paintings and painting theory had a great influence on the painting circles in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Calligraphy appeared in Jin and Tang Dynasties, and has its own style, capable of poetry and prose. Li Zhimin, a professor at Peking University and the founder of the introduction of stele into grass, commented: "Dong Qichang advocated learning from the past and transforming it into the past, but his superstitious ideas on the charm of calligraphy were even worse than those of the ancients."