Hsiao Chin said: "The static state of the image, frozen in time, yet allows for unlimited expression." This is one of the trademarks of Hsiao’s style. He used Western palettes and techniques to reinvent the manifold possibilities and styles of Chinese painting, and in the process he raised the human spirit to new heights. Therein lies the attraction of his art, and the reason why it resonates with an increasing number of aficionados.

In the 1980s, Hsiao entered his mature period. The "Chi" series avoided a direct approach of its theme, but rather offered circumlocutory depictions of realities imbued with the underlying subject. "I do not paint 'Zen', but observe the flow and evolution of cosmic life through the lens of Zen." Visual lines serve to channel spiritual development. Several series from the mid-1980s, including "Magnetic Waves", Shower, "Vortice Cosmico", and "Solar Storm" are the work of a painter tempered by life, an artist who has found his very own creative language and expressive form.