Chinese painting is one of the oldest artistic traditions in the world. Painting in the traditional style is known today in Chinese as Guo Hua, meaning "national" or "native" painting, as  (1) opposed to Western styles of art which became popular in China in the 20th century. Traditional painting (2) involves essentially the
same techniques as (3) calligraphy and is done with a brash dipped in black or colored ink; oils are not used. As with calligraphy, the most popular materials on which
paintings are made are paper and silk. The earliest paintings were not (4) representational but (5) ornamental; they (6) consisted of patterns or designs rather than pictures. During the Tang Dynasty, figure painting (7） flourished at the royal court. Artists such as Zhou  Fang (8) depicted the (9) splendour of court life in,paintings of emperors, palace ladies, and imperial horses.
(1)oppose to意为“与……相对立”。
(2)involve意为“涉及”。
(3)calligraphy意为“书法”。
(4)representational意为“表征的”。
(5)ornamental意为“装饰的”。
(6)consist of意为“包含，由……组成”。
(7)flourish意为“盛行，茂盛”。
(8）depict意为“描绘”。
(9)splendour意为“显赫，壮丽”。