Dong Qichang, Wade-Giles romanization Tung Ch’i-ch’ang, (born 1555, Huating [now in Shanghai], China—died 1636), Chinese painter, calligrapher, and theoretician who was one of the finest artists of the late Ming period. The most distinguished connoisseur of his day, Dong Qichang set forward ideas that have continued to influence Chinese aesthetic theory.

Dong Qichang was born to a poor but scholarly family, and, though he at first failed the government examinations, he passed the jinshi (“advanced scholar”) examination at age 34 and was appointed to the first of a series of official positions within the Ming government.

Dong Qichang is perhaps best known for his writings on Chinese painting. Dividing Chinese painting into “Nor...