EDEN OF EAST

I’ve lived in China for 22 years since it is my homeland. Although these two decades seem to be safe and sound, there are plenty of doubts that come up in my mind. I frequently take trips to different sorts of metropolis in China, while sometimes I travel to undeveloped areas. Skyscrapers, various shops, and luxury cars show a prosperous view that is totally opposite to shabby buildings, muddy paths, and inconvenient transportation in most small cities and countrysides. All of the scenes illustrate a huge gap that we can’t ignore.

Being through these things, I decided to explore the sense of contradiction and avulsion.

A — SKETCHES

To start with, I communicated with people of different ages and careers, and the answers they gave shocked me quite a lot. I not only realized some specific events, but also searched particular references that could explain all of the events and support my ideas.

Finally, I figured out there are a number of truths that we’ve neglected for a long time. It is painful to accept all the scars in this region, but the most important thing is facing them.

Part of the inspiration comes from Fei Xiaotong’s From the Soil, which reflects on the structure of local societies and the order of human relationships in traditional China.

B — MATERIAL EXPERIMENT

These works are made with traditional Chinese tools such as black ink, golden dust, and handmade art paper.

While working with watercolor, I experimented with various traditional painting techniques, including salt scattering, foam texture, and different brush movements, to explore new possibilities within this ordinary medium.

C — PHOTOGRAPHY

The photographs were taken during my trip to Inner Mongolia, a region in northern China that preserves a more traditional lifestyle and landscape. The vast land, harsh wind, and rough textures there deeply reflect the essence of Chinese character and culture.

D — FINAL OUTPUT

This illustration series consists of twelve main pieces along with several supporting graphics. The compositions are guided by an overarching concept — each piece reflects, from my own perspective, a state of traditional Chinese culture in the present day. Rather than conveying meaning directly, the works focus on structural and cultural elements, inviting the viewer to reflect and interpret.

In terms of technique, after confirming the basic composition, I used the traditional baimiao (fine-line) method from Chinese ink painting for modeling. However, I broke away from the conventional xieyi (freehand) ink style, introducing geometric forms to enhance visual structure. The drawings were created in Procreate, where I matched shapes and colors using textures sampled from traditional crafts, and then finalized the overall color harmony in Photoshop.

The series seeks to merge traditional craftsmanship, critical reflection, and contemporary formal innovation.

E — TEST BOARD 06

This book is made by the traditional Chinese way of binding and layout, which means that I use simple cotton thread to connect every page. Then I set the proportion of the book as a total square, and in this way I can show more sense of form and decoration.