"The din of the dusty world and the locked-in-ness of human habitations are what human nature habitually abhors; while, on the contrary, haze and mist, the haunting spirits of the mountains are what human nature seeks, and yet can rarely find...

Having no access to landscapes, the lover of forest and stream, the friend of mist and haze, enjoys them only in his dreams. How delightful then to have a landscape painted with a skilled hand! Without leaving the room, at once, one finds oneself among the streams and ravines. "

Kuo Hsi (eleventh century)