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Art and culture in China can be traced back thousands of years. It is one of the most ancient cultures in the world, and therefore it has a wealth of cultural and art history to explore.

The three most important facets of China’s art history are its ceramics, landscape paintings, and poetry.

Most people have heard of a Ming vase. That is just one of the many forms of ceramics that artisans in China have mastered. The word “Ming” refers to the period of history that Ming vases were constructed. It was the period the Ming Dynasty ruled, 1368-1644 AD. Other Chinese dynasties produced their own forms of pottery. Some of these other dynasties are, in ascending chronological order: Han, Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, and Qing.

Chinese painters have long been known as wonderfully talented at portraying landscapes. The various schools of Chinese landscape painting are also associated with the Chinese dynasties. Perhaps the greatest period of landscape painting in China occurred during the Song Dynasty, 960-1279 AD. Five of the most famous Chinese landscape artists are Jing Hao, Fan Kuan, Guo Xi, Dong Yuan, and Juran.

The poetry of China is split into three forms: shi, ci, and qu. All three are highly dependent on rhyme schemes. The earliest known Chinese poetry dates back to 1000 BC.

Perhaps equally important as art to China’s culture is its food. The food is associated with various geographic regions of China.

Another important facet of China’s culture is smoking. Smoking is allowed almost everywhere in China. It is the world’s largest manufacturer of cigarettes. It is also the leading manufacturer of a new kind of nicotine delivery system, the electronic cigarette.