The human figure has been a popular theme since painting began. Throughout human history, the number of figure paintings is huge. These artworks not only carry the subjective intentions, spirit, and cultural background of the painters, but also provide us with insights into different cultures and civilizations. Usually, when creating a realistic figure painting, the painter should have a full understanding of the model in order to make the portrait convincing. It is all these factors that make me obsessed with painting figures. I find so many unique and interesting characteristics in the people surrounding me, so I aim to record them and the cultures that have shaped them.

In this portrait series, I turned my focus back to the place where I come from. Since the 1980’s, China’s economy has grown rapidly. Alongside this economic growth came the popularization of the internet and TV in Chinese households, which made pop culture spread across the whole country. This in turn lead to large minority populations living in the remote areas being exposed to diverse modern cultures. Seduced by the mass media, many people who lived in the undeveloped, rural areas began to move to the cities seeking a so-called better life. In the interests of cultural assimilation, these people’s traditional cultures were abandoned or forgotten gradually. Often the men would leave the villages