Wenguozhai ji 聞過齋集

Wenguozhai ji 聞過齋集, full title Wu Chaozong Xiansheng Wenguozhai ji 吳朝宗先生聞過齋集, are the collected writings of Wu Hai 吳海 (d. 1386), courtesy name Chaozong 朝宗, from Minxian 閩縣 (today's Minhou 閩侯, Fujian). He never embarked on an official career. Wu once stated that the writings of non-Confucian thinkers like Yang Zhu 楊朱, Mozi 墨子, the Buddhists, Laozi 老子, Guanzi 管子, or the legalists were harmful to people's minds and obstructed the path of the sages. Thus, he authored a work titled Shuhuo 書禍 "The calamity of [non-Confucian] books" to explain his views. The first edition of his writings was published in 1401 with the title Wen Hai wenji 吳海文集.

The collection of 8 juan includes prefaces (xu 序), records (ji 記), tomb inscriptions (muzhiming 墓志銘), conduct descriptions (xingzhuang 行狀), letters (chidu 尺牘), biographies (zhuanwen 傳文), admonitions (zhen 箴), inscriptions (ming 銘), notes on poems and artworks (ti-ba 題跋), eulogies (zan 贊) and sacrificial texts (jiwen 祭文). Theoretical discussions on painting are primarily found in several inscriptions and colophons in fascicle 7.

Wu Hai's views on painting mostly emerge as spontaneous reflections or essays inspired by personal experience, from which some general ideas can be extracted. First, he maintains a consistent standpoint on books and paintings: the foremost purpose of literature and art is to benefit society and cultivate human morality, while artistic merit is secondary. For example, among the famous figure painters Yan Liben 閻立本 (601-673), Wu Daozi 吳道子 (680-759), and Li Longmian 李龍眠 (Li Gonglin 李公麟, 1049-1106), Wu Hai regards Li Longmian as the greatest. Wu's inscriptions on paintings often seek to unearth deeper meanings within the artwork, serving as admonitions or lessons for the literati, revealing his emphasis on the educational and moral function of art.

Secondly, Wu Hai asserts that painting should convey meaning and express one's interest and spirit. Especially in landscape painting, Wu Hai favours expressive and freehand styles. He credits the Mi Fu 米芾 (1051-1107) and his son as major contributors to the evolution of Chinese landscape painting. He highly values the spontaneous, suggestive brushwork of Mi. As a travel writer with a passion for landscapes, Wu Hai believed that painting landscapes is like writing about them.

The book is included in the series Siku quanshu 四庫全書, Jiayetang congshu 嘉業堂叢書 and Congshu shicheng chubian 叢書集成初編.