Cédric Laurent is a professor of Chinese language, literature and civilisation at Rennes 2 University (ERIMIT ). He teaches classical literature and the history of Chinese art, and conducts research into the relationship between painting and literature in China. His work on Ming painting (1368-1644) involves deciphering painted motifs in the light of literature, and occasionally opens up to a wide variety of fields, from curiosa to incense and contemporary art. His books include Voyages immobiles dans la prose ancienne : la peinture narrative sous la dynastie Ming (Paris, Les Belles Lettres, 2017) and Retrouver son Coeur : La méditation dans la peinture et la poésie chinoises du XVe au XVIIe siècle (Paris, L'Asiathèque, 2021).