As the Cultural Revolution was winding down at the end of the 1970’s, in Zi Gong, Sichuan province, the third largest city of Sichuan, I was born in the hospital my grandfather established. My grandfather at that time was a very famous doctor (grandfather’s ancestors were famous artists and bachelors of the Imperial Academy in Qing Dynasty). When he wasn’t in the hospital he kept himself busy with his skill at traditional Chinese painting, calligraphy, and looking after the flowers and plants in the courtyard. I often sat on his leg as he painted. He was very affable, often saying patiently things that I could not understand at that time, that I must concentrate to study the works and story of the Chinese expert of calligraphy and painting whose energy was in our blood and house. His work and words influenced me imperceptibly during these childhood days and on a lot of my art.

He was a traditional scholar typical of China, his style of conversation and bearing reflect a scholar's cultured makings. His family was a big family. At that time, people in this country had just resumed normality from the revolutionary turmoil and the hard life of the whole family was a very realistic thing, though he is president of the hospital. Most localities were not very rich in China at that time, people live each day calculating carefully and budgeting strictly. Although it was difficult, there was a very bright yearning for the life of the future.

Our city was known as “township of the dinosaur” at that time, home of the biggest dinosaur fossil museum in the world. It was a very harmonious living environment. Daytime, I would swim, fish, play in the woods and in the river.

In this country with such a long history, art is a very broad field; a lot of traditional culture and artistic work are worth study and attention. However, in the seventies and eighties of China, the underdevelopment of information made people unable to see artistic work, there were only a few pictures, and people did not understand about outside culture and art. I began my drawing under the condition that there were not any references. On the house outer wall at my home, I began drawing with colored chalk so many pictures; even the houses of several families next door did not escape my work! The neighbors lodged a complaint with my father, thence, sent me to the study class of fine art and painting taught by my grandfather. Just a hobby at that time, I never expected this to be the start to my way of art. At that time, I was only seven years old.

A year later our home moved to the urban center. Living in the high building, I lost the kind of free life of the country child, far away from the woods, sandy beach, and the river. My hobby followed the change of the living environment. My talent for painting was found by the art instructor of the new school and he introduced at that time the best teacher in the city to my father, a very famous painter. My painting methods and skill changed and improved rapidly. I spent three evenings a week learning to paint at the teacher's home.

I was a child of a personality very eager to do well in everything. I sat painting for such a long time, I did not take more time to exercise, and because I was still a child whose body was developing at that time, my parents became anxious. I liked to go swimming in the river very much before, so, at that time, they began to consider that I go to a swimming club. Soon, on a summer vacation, the swimming team of the sports school was enrolling new students, and I told them I want to join the swimming team. My parents happily agreed! From then on, water and I forged the indissoluble fate. I passed the test very easily.

This summer vacation, I just lived in the water, swimming ceaselessly like a fish freely, a kind of gentle pleasant sensation that enjoying freedom brings. I would open my eyes under water, avoiding the coach's sight at the same time, enjoying for a moment the quiet and comfortable-- it made a wonderful impression, as in the moment in the famous American film, The Graduate, where Dustin Hoffman jumps into the swimming pool at the family party for his only moment of serenity. Floating on the surface of water from underwater, the hot sunshine looked splendid, it was very dazzling. I forged fate with water at that time. My works began to draw from this influence. I was twelve years old at the time.

After finishing junior middle school, I was admitted to the middle school of Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, the first step in the professional painting field. I moved to the city of Chongqing, home of the university. I began my new life and study in this new residence. Here, I saw many artists' and teachers works, exhibitions, foreign and domestic. I began to study some new things, intensively the subjects of some new arts. I adapt to new things quickly, and I know which knowledge I need studying and supplementing.

At the same time I came to like literature too, reading works from Chinese to Western. I widened my own vision inside a lot of characters of books. In the institute, the students had a very good study atmosphere, probing into and studying the knowledge that is interesting to each individual. I developed a strong interest in drawing Western-style, a lot of European Renaissance periods, Impressionism and American Pop Art, etc. I remember liking the painters Ingres, Reubens and Van Gogh most at that time. I like the exquisiteness of Ingres works, the smoothness of Reubens' works, gorgeous color of Van Gogh's works and his spirit persistent to art even though he slipped into madness.

Because I was eager to do well as soon as possible at that time, I spent much strength in studying intensively a painting specialty; I become a student with very outstanding specific skills. My many painting works received favorable comment in the annual exhibition of students in the school, among them a lot of works still used by teachers as the lower grade student’s demonstration. At the time I was so far ahead of my classmates I began to be proud and complacent, I lost interest in making progress as the outstanding student, and began to go off to drink with a lot of friends frequently.

I am no exception to youths’ desire to revolt and rebel, and I began to like the decadent life. I began to repel a lot of traditional culture and traditional art forms, though I was an expert to the things of those traditional arts. But I had new yearning for new art forms and the young man's lifestyle as was popular at that time. My taste not confined to painting any longer, came to like other arts and a lot of inartistic things, like a lifestyle that is more free. Rock music at that time began to appear in China. I immediately took to it, listening and participating in. I sold my first oil painting at that time, and went to buy an electric guitar. I preferred listening to The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Nirvana, etc. at that time.

I would enter the university soon in one year. I have chosen Beijing to study, to the Central Academy of Fine Arts. That year was 1997. I saw more exhibitions in Beijing my first year, and had more exchanges. I liked and had deep love for this city very much at that time, but the first year I found there was too much emphasis on structure for my way of painting, so I transferred to the Academy of Fine Arts of Sichuan because of its strength to educate in artistic creation, and I had a good opinion of the professors. I was back to the place where I was familiar.

I began my second university life in the oil painting department of Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts in 1998. I had more time to study the history and technique of Western oil painting more professionally at this moment. To study art on the subject matter of religion from the early graphics art of the Middle Ages in Europe, to the social background at that time and artistic ideological trends. This course let my artistic knowledge and thought go through a Renaissance again, coming to face traditional art and new art again. I possess all-around knowledge and study from ancient times to the present, without the confusion of before. From this perspective I found my own future direction.

Meanwhile, I organized a rock band, becoming a guitarist and playing the drum too, sometimes. I wrote most of the songs myself. Our band is only a small one of very obscure recognition, it is for enjoying the music that the members of the band get together and cooperate, at the same time it is for having a pastime that young men get together. We did not expect what was to happen, as many people came to like our music – a broadcasting station came to have us record several songs and began to air them on a regular basis. We were invited to play a song at the concert of a famous singer, and this brought much excitement to us at that time. But before long, it became apparent that my future was in my visual talents, as the awards and demand for my works increased. I left the band.

I worked hard to develop my graphics skills, and the subject matter was now all things underwater. I find a lot of inspiration in the memory of swimming in water from my childhood. The kind of light underwater is very beautiful. I began to set up my own painting style. At that time I often had one strange beautiful dream, with a lot of people in the city as fish moving about freely. The beautiful sunshine of summer was piercing through the surface of water, becoming many dazzling light bends. Around people, it becomes very still, not like water, but like space, with no obstructions. I am very relaxed to spread my arms freely, I am moving about, unfolding my own body.

Then there are many buildings around, there are streets, crowds, and the scenery is very beautiful. I experienced that kind of elegant aesthetic feeling among the beautiful dreamland you will find in a lot of my paintings. I have drawn a lot of paintings from a kind of spontaneous unique personal impressions. I am exploring the dreamland in my own soul constantly. At the same time, a lot of my artist friends and I exchange together and discuss. I like to probe into artistic questions with everybody. In the second year of university, an old friend in Beijing came here with his new American girlfriend. He is a young poet and a radical youth, reads a lot of books, writes, and often discusses philosophy with me. They came to Chongqing because the girl wantsto learn sculpture for one year in Sichuan Academy of Fine Art. She trained in the artistic institute of University of California in San Francisco, She had an opportunity to study for one year abroad, so has chosen to come to China.

The two's arrival has brought a lot of topics and enjoyment to me, his girl friend with an optimistic, humorous personality. She often holds various parties for us with her American ways, making Mexican food, American roast chicken, etc. My home became the stronghold where everybody got together at that time; there are often a lot of people drinking and chatting together in the room. Sometimes we made small art exhibitions. Our culture is different; so we often discuss the things of each country, discuss the differences between the young men, and our own ideals. We put forward the suggestion for the other side's artistic work too, sometimes.

They left Chongqing after finishing the girl's course in the second year. A lot of questions discussed with friends in this year had given me broader inspirations of art and thought. Within two years, I tried to express my artistic ideas in different ways, such as a lot of sculptures, photos, installations, etc., quoting various kinds of artistic technique of expression in my oil painting work. Now my painting ways can express my artistic thought more smoothly, my painting technique is riper and much more abundant. I continue drawing the thing that I want to paint. I continue realizing my own ideas on the canvas which led to a more crowded residence, as my ideas became bigger and bigger!

2000 was my breakthrough year, my oil painting work " breath underwater " participated in the Arts Awards of the Asia Pacific that Nokia hosts, resulting in Nokia’s top Artistic Award, as the Chinese representative. A joint exhibition with South Korea in Seoul became an artistic exchange with the representatives of 13 countries participating in a traveling show of every country of the Asian-Pacific area. Many media covered this award–winning exhibition. My present paintings add a modern feeling; the highway signs and modern articles let people feel a strange familiarity with the environment under water in the oil painting. All objects, architecture, and people, all seeming calm that that they are under the water, seem elegant, like a dreamland. Such naturalistic scenes merged with a kind of surrealism; let people have a fun and wonderful impression that breaks away from the real world. It can spark the imagination of the visitor, too, bringing a kind of ocular aesthetic feeling. I continue to draw this kind of work now; these works have participated in a lot of exhibitions, and have been well received, but this is only a beginning for me. I ceaselessly continue looking for the beautiful paintings in my mind.