Born in Chongquing, China in 1955, Zhou enrolled in Five-Seven Art School at the age of 16 to study painting. After getting a degree from the Painting Department of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in 1982, Zhou pursued studies at the Oil Painting Department of the Fine Arts, Experiment Art Department of Kassel Academy of Fine Art of German Kassel University. He incorporates Neo-Expressionism into his Chinese oil paintings, while also retaining the philosophy of “less is more”. He boasts of a unique yet warm style which won him the reputation of the most unrestrained contemporary Chinese artist with the most precise use of colors.

Among Zhou’s most famous works were the Mountain Rock series, which marked a milestone for Zhou’s career; the Green Dog collection, made in memory of his deceased Heigen; and the 2005, Peach Blossom series, which boasts of a phantom-like, liberating style. With different hues and unrestrained strokes, Zhou depicts the dynamics of life with his elegant yet pure language of art. His first retrospective exhibition was held at the Shanghai Art Museum in June, 2010, while the Zhou Chunya Arts Research Institute was also established in Shanghai around the same time. Zhou was awarded Artist of the Year by the Art Power 100. The awards acknowledge Zhou’s achievement and influence on Chinese contemporary art in the past three decades, while envisioning a new direction for Chinese contemporary art.