Horses move diagonally while elephants (xiang) exactly two points diagonally; and cannons capture by jumping.

- Cao Yingbin

Over the years, I’ve intermittently painted many characters who vary in shape and form depending on their emotions. When I flipped through the painting album, it dawned on me that it was painting myself all along.  

- Pan Tao

Life is too fast-paced and hectic that we forget to admire ourselves in the mirror. When you get a moment’s respite, remember to look in the mirror at your outer self. It is created by God, and keeps changing from day to day. What remains constant is your inner self. Live each day true to the inner self by aligning the outer one to it.

- Zhang Hua

Everybody has his or her own xiang, or image. It is not what one appears as in the eyes of others, but a reflection of one’s inner self.

- Zhang Moliu

They (the characters) come from the deepest recesses of my mind, and reflect my experience and contemplation of life. In the process of painting them, I tried to break away from and go beyond the traditions of ink and wash I had been exposed to, using unique techniques and freedom of expression instead to achieve harmony between the heart and hands. I prefer to use the simplest visual language to represent people’s complex mentality and shared emotional traits - anxiety, indifference, panic and apathy. 

- Zhang Yang

Artists’ character paintings are a reflection of their inner selves: beneath what’s painted on the canvas is an artist’s soul in hiding. 

- Zhu Cunwei

翻译 (中-英): 王育伟 

Translation (Chinese-English): Wang Yuwei