Upon his return from Germany in the early 1990s, Zhou Chunya began using oil painting techniques to create the "Vases" series, which was marked by traditional Chinese cultural traits. The expressionist style of this series was in keeping with the conceptual imagery of Chinese landscape and freehand bird and flower paintings, using relief-like three dimensional exaggerated brushstrokes as the carrier for a dialogue between this contemporary artist and classical imagery, as well as passionate emotions for nature and humanity. The color application and expressive techniques found in this series would become an important thread in his later "Peach Blossoms" series.

This 1995 "Vase of Flowers" is particularly heated and heavy, but it is not difficult to gain a sense of the vitality and free artistic creativity flowing from the work. By deftly attaining the Chinese painting concept of empty white space through oil painting techniques, the artist has further highlighted the forcefulness of the flowers. This is a Chinese image-scape framed within the style of Germany Expressionism, drawing the viewer into the field to taste the artist's subconscious ramblings, be they refined or coarse, modern or traditional, profound or unbound. While provoking deep thought, the painting also creates a catharsis, making it hard to walk away.