In my past years of painting, there is an unavoidable complexity surrounding the themes of the countryside and urban and rural areas. In the eighties and nineties, China’s countryside was in rapid growth. I grew up during that time and witnessed the impact this economic and social change had on individuals. A sense of absurdity, greed, violence, and darkness has since been ingrained in my artistic practice. Rainstorm, for instance, depicts a stormy scene from my hometown, when I returned from the provincial capital to help the litchi harvest in 2015. (Artist Statement)