Huaquan 畫筌

Huaquan 畫筌 "The creel of paintings" is a book on painting compiled in the early Qing period 清 (1644-1911) by Da Chongguang 笪重光 (1623-1692), courtesy name Zaishen 在莘, style Jiangshang Waishi 江上外史 or Yisou 逸叟, from Jingkou 京口 (today's Zhenjiang 鎮江, Jiangsu). He obtained his jinshi degree in 1652 and obtained the highest office of censor (yushi 御史). Da compiled a similar book on calligraphy, Shufa 書筏 "The raft of calligraphy".

The book on paintings, finished in 1668, is relatively short, and written in couplets (dui'ou 對偶). It discusses the theory of landscape painting and also touches the skills used to paint rocks, trees, personalities, flowers, and birds, and how to realize structural parts of an image by brush techniques and playing with the density of the ink. The text is enriched by critical remarks contributed by Wang Hui 王翬 (1632-1717) and Yun Shouping 惲壽平 (1633-1690). Tang Yifen 湯貽汾 (1778-1853) tried in his commentary Huaquan xilan 畫筌析覽 to create headlines for the ten segments of Da's book.

It is included in the series Zhaodai congshu 昭代叢書, Zhibuzuzhai congshu 知不足齋叢書, Huaxue xinyin 畫學心印, Cuilangganguan congshu 翠琅玕館叢書, Sitongguzhai lunhua jike 四銅鼓齋論畫集刻, Meishu congshu 美術叢書, Yilin mingzhu xuanji 藝林名著選輯 and Lidai lunhua mingzhu huibian 歷代論畫名著彙編. A modern, commented edition was published in 1982 by the Sichuan Renmin Chubanshe 四川人民出版社.