Of all the teaching units of the Academy, School of Traditional Chinese Painting has the most distinctive, traditional features. The school, which originated from Painting Department of Central South Institute of Fine Arts in 1953, later became the Department of Colored Ink Painting and then Department of Chinese Painting in 1956, was promoted to its current status in 2010.

In 1958, the schooling was extended to four years. In 1961, the school began to teach by specialties. Fine arts were divided into figure painting and landscape painting. The division laid down the basic teaching model of the school and formed standard teaching procedures and unique teaching methods. In 1978, two years after the Cultural Revolution, the Departments of Figure Painting, Landscape Painting, and of Flower-and-Bird Painting re-opened. In 1987, Department of Calligraphy and Department of Seal Cutting were established. In 1993, the Department of Mural Painting was founded and later transformed into the Studio of Mural Painting. In 1996, the school started to enroll students of mural painting and at the same time set up Studio of Basic Plastic Arts. In 2011, the School began to matriculate students of Calligraphy. In the past 50 years, as one of the leaders of higher education of traditional Chinese painting in South China, the School has done its part and trained an abundance of skilled graduates.

Today, the School boasts a competent team of old, middle-aged, and young teachers, including 3 Assistants, 1 Visiting Professor, and 5 Foreign Teachers. The previous Deans of the School were Prof.Guan Shanyue, Prof.Li Xiongcai, Prof. Yang Zhiguang, Prof.Liang Shixiong, Prof.Chen Zhenguo, Prof.Wang Dapeng. Leading teachers include Zhang Yan, Li Jingkun, Fang Chuxiong, Li Weiming, Chen Wenguang, Zhou Yong, Liang Rujie, and Yu Li. The school has three disciplines, that is, Traditional Chinese Painting, Mural Painting and Calligraphy. It boasts several studios – Studio of Basic Plastic Art, Studio of Figure Painting, Studio of Landscape Painting, Studio of Flower-and-Bird Painting, Studio of Mural Painting, Studio of Calligraphy and Seal Cutting, Section of Studies on Classical Chinese Painting, Section of Studies on LingnanPaintingSchool, Section of Reference, and Painting Storeroom.

In the context of globalization, the School will continue to develop the fine traditions of education and further liberate its mind, be bold in reform and innovation, raise the quality of teaching and management, improve teaching facilities, strive to keep the essence of traditional Chinese paintings, and retain the peculiar features of the Lingnan Painting School, so as to train all-round graduates with creative power and consummate skills in traditional Chinese painting, mural painting, and calligraphy.

Present Leaders:

Dean: Wang Dapeng

Secretary of the Party Branch and Concurrently Vice-Dean: Chen Shushu

Vice-Deans: Zhang Yan, Li Jingfang