Taoism maintained its strength and influence in Chinese society through the Sung and Yüan periods. Throughout the period from the T’ang through the early Ming, leading members of the literati establishment treated Taoism as an important path of inquiry and practice.During the Yüan dynasty, period of non-Chinese rule, Taoism played a dynamic role, supporting Confucianism in the perpetuation of threatened cultural values. Unlike Confucianism which was dependent on such socio-political institutions as the civil service examination in order to function properly, or Buddhism which was a foreign import, Taoism was not only indigenous to China but was also able to respond to the specific needs of the time, in part because of its flexible organization.Behind the development of Yüan eremitic painting lay the historical circumstances and conditions of the time, when China, under the domination of Mongol conquerors, was passing through a period of profound alienation and spiritual stress for patriotic intellectuals. Retreat from the centres of political and public life into a private and rural existence was for many not only a matter of personal inclination but a moral necessity and political act. A Yüan scholar’s country retreat was an symbol of his individuality, his values, and his historical lot. Private retreats, secluded country and immortal’s realm vistas became the distinctive imagery of Yüan painting. This was the main trend of the time, one in which some painters participated.