If a wise man could enlighten you on the way ahead since your life started, it might save you a lot of efforts to swim to the other shore. Yet who could be so fortunate? I am the one who are fortunate enough to receive encouragements very often. I still remember the year when I was doodling right at the time when my teacher was taking a nap. He woke up and glanced at my work, then was quite sure that I possessed the talent for painting. “You have already done better than many painters. Keep on and you will get somewhere!” I base my persistent learning of the ink wash painting on the practice of calligraphy and seal-cutting, by means of inheriting my teacher’s philosophy. Until my huge studio was put into use, I am even more willing to spend a hundred times of efforts to explore the secret of ink wash paintings. The ink wash painting bears the philosophy of Taoism where “being void” is emphasized. The prerequisite for being void is to make sure where your spirit is heading for. For me, the art of ink wash painting goes beyond brush and paper, and lies in extensive learning, in a mind free of worldly pursuit, in naivety, nothingness, Tao and being detached…

　　The most critical thing in creating works is to improve self-examination on the precondition of a joyous mood. One can make improvement step by step, with a practice-based experience and the enhanced ability to appreciate good works. In the meantime, the habit of writing enables people to derive pleasure from production, which as a result supports a burning passion. The practice of calligraphy is a long-term process that requires the accumulation of comprehensive knowledge and a gradual awakening to the truth of life.

　　In producing works of art, one’s idea is always changed by a couple of turning points at different stages. I barely set a clear topic for my work, but once the key turning point appears, like a flash of inspiration, it is pivotal to grasp it and make a quick decision.

　　I always hold a view against defining the conceptual significance without predicting the result of experience. Usually a new possibility can be the key element for making a choice, or it can also be regarded as a sign for a turning point. However, it is hard to avoid the interference from the latent tendency to follow the tradition. The consistency of a series of works might be broken and the relations between works would probably be adjusted or even purified when a single piece of work is produced at the moment of awakening, which sometimes might not be a betrayal of the original intention. Even though it is, to take a fresh new start after a journey is also a way to make the work more of depth and profundity.

　　However, an important element for fostering a piece of work’s naturalness is to be free. Life, as the subject, definitely influences the process of production. Only by getting relaxed can a painter frequently produced good works. For me, excessive description about my state of being free is of little necessity, but I would still get a fright at the very moment when a bark breaks the hushed silence as well as my full concentration.

　　Chinese people pay special attention to the Five Phases. According to the Mandate of Heaven, if someone’s Fire and Wood are prosperous, he is fairly suitable for doing art. Up until today, I am generally satisfied with my career. What could be more capricious, funny, and worth more in-depth study than the ink wash painting? Barely do I care about the compliments given by others. I tend to put particular emphasis on the real inner self and its presence in my work. I always deny that man is the determinant factor for all because there must be a mysterious power pushing forward all the time. What could I do is nothing but bow to the Heaven. The profound truth is unspeakable, especially regarding the ink wash painting.

　　Translator: Elyse Ding