From Scroll to Screen: The Transformation of Viewing Methods of Chinese Painting in the Digital Context and Its Cultural Impact

Abstract

This study focuses on the viewing logic in traditional Chinese painting, particularly how handscroll paintings emphasize an equal weight on “temporality” and “spatiality.” It also explores how digital media have altered these viewing methods and analyzes whether this transformation affects the cultural expression and understanding of Chinese painting. Traditional Chinese painting, especially long handscroll landscapes, emphasizes the coexistence of temporal and spatial dimensions; it excels at providing an immersive viewing experience through the viewing method of “roaming observation,” and uses textual elements to aid in the appreciation and understanding of the content and logic of the imagery. However, in digital media, such as VR installations, immersive videos, and short videos, the viewing pace is often accelerated and the text-image relationship simplified. This tends to cause misreading of the traditional viewing experience and a weakening of cultural connotations. Meanwhile, through literature analysis and case studies—focusing on cases such as Flying Over A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains and Roaming the Fuchun River—the study reveals the process by which viewing methods shift from “roaming” to “scanning” under the influence of digital media. The results show that although digital media enhances the expressive power of images and broaden their reach, there are issues where the traditional viewing logic is being overlooked. Therefore, this paper suggests that future digital displays should pay greater attention to the design of interactive pacing and the integration of text and image, in order to ensure that traditional aesthetics and cultural connotations are given equal emphasis while exploring better dissemination pathways.