It is evident in the portraits of the emperors that the Chinese do not emphasize on the physical appearance. An example would be the "Portrait of Emperor Chou Wu" by Anonymous. However, not only the emperors could have portraits. In fact, ink calligraphy type portraits in China were rarely commissioned, because they were also considered for the common people.
The simplicity of the portraits compared to the Western & Japanese paintings emphasize the belief of the Chinese artist, that shading and color is distracting. However, color is commonly incorporated in portraits of emperors. Only the imperial court would have these type of portraits painted of them. The purpose of these portraits are often for some type of historical record, and in some cases hung up on a wall.