The most important aesthetic principle and the first of the six principles of this painting is vividness and charm.

The theory of "charm" in Chinese painting can be traced back to Xie He, a figure painter of the Six Dynasties and Southern Qi Dynasty, in his "Ancient Paintings List". Xie He proposed that "there are six methods of painting", namely, vivid charm, bone method and brushwork, responding to the pictogram of objects, following the category, managing the position, and transferring the imitation. Since then, "vivid charm", the first of the six methods, has become the fundamental aesthetic standard of Chinese painting.