Xishan woyou lu 谿山卧游錄

Xishan woyou lu 谿山卧游錄 "Dream journeys through streams and mountains" is a book on painting written during the Qing period 清 (1644-1911) by Cheng Dashi 盛大士 (1771-1836), courtesy name Zilü 子履, style Yiyun 逸雲, Wensu Waishi 蘊素外史, Lanyi Waishi 蘭簃外史, Lanqi Daoren 蘭簃道人 or Lanxi Daoren 蘭畦道人, from Zhenyang 鎮洋 (today part of Taicang 太倉, Jiangsu). His collected writings are called Wensuge ji 蘊素閣集. He also wrote a book called Quanshi 泉史.

The Xishan woyou lu, with a length of 4 juan, was finished in 1822. It took Cheng seven years to complete the book. Its format differs both from Feng Jinbo's 馮金伯 (1738-1810) Guochao huashi 國朝畫識, which is a historical account of painters, and from Qin Zuyong's 秦祖永 (1825-1884) Tongyin lunhua 桐陰論畫, which is a theoretical discourse on painting. Instead, it is a comprehensive work that combines both art theory and art history.

Juan 1 and 2 primarily discuss painting techniques. They contain both excerpts from earlier masters and the author's reflections. The content touches on painting theory, art history, and painting methods, including evaluations and appreciation of art. It also includes various quotations from earlier writings on painting, covering a wide range of topics. Fascicles 3 and 4 belong to the category of art history. They primarily contain brief biographies of contemporary painters and descriptions of their painting styles. Unlike conventional art historical works, these volumes place greater emphasis on discussing the painters' artistic styles and theoretical approaches to painting, often adopting an informal, essay-like tone.

The text is included in the series Meishu congshu 美術叢書, Hualun congkan 畫論叢刊 and Huashi congshu 畫史叢書.