From the middle 19th century to the early 20th century, the city of Shanghai with its booming economy became a commercial center in China. It gradually replaced the important economic position of Suzhou and Yangzhou. Great painters also came to Shanghai and the last painting school in modern Chinese painting history, the Sea Painting School, emerged. Shanghai was influenced greatly by foreign cultures, thus presenting paintings and calligraphy works as gifts became a common phenomenon. The economic nature promoted the booming of the art activities in this region.

Paintings of the Sea School painters have the following characteristics: first, paintings of flowers and birds occupied the largest number, and painters showed more attention to the content not the formation. Secondly, all the paintings, no matter flowers and birds or human figures, took in the techniques of symbolization. And third, the design and the color were both elegant and bright in order to meet the commercial demands. This style was obviously influenced by the western fine arts and met the taste of ordinary people.

Other famous painters of the Qing Dynasty included Hu Gongshou, Lu Hui, Wu Shijie, Cheng Zhang and etc., all of whom had influenced the development of painting styles of the later generations. Besides pursuing elegance, the painters all made their living by selling paintings.

Painters of the Shanghai School inherited traditional Chinese painting techniques, but became more realistic to meet the commercial demands of their society. They played a transitional role between classical and modern Chinese painting.