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Cheng Tsai-tung was born in Taipei in 1953, he works in the movie industry and was very active in the Taiwan art scene during the '80s and the '90s. Cheng was not a traditional water ink painter, he also painted oil paintings and is aslo a ceramicist. He was influenced by western expressionism and surrealism arts in his early age, and that made his creations possessed open elements of contemporary paintings. His works are reminiscent and sad, they documented his life, expressed his inner self with a touch of cold and gloomy tone of colors, presents a cold and bizarre beauty, Cheng seems very good at creating a solitude and depressed atmosphere that hints the return to the deep of one's inner self, vivid colors therefore becomes the sur realistic embellishments in his paintings.

After 1998 he gradually moved his studio to Shanghai, he traveled following ancient footsteps, appreciated the nature sceneries that was also appreciated by people thousands years ago, he was immersed in such a joy as if he was being able to travel through time. Cheng highly praised the life of the people from late Ming dynasty, he transformed his pursue into reality, the teapot he used at home is a covered bowl from Jingdezhen, his cup for tea is a green porcelain bowl from Yaozou Kiln in Song dynasty, his obsession for these things has become his code of life, he especially praised the witster Yuan Chunglang. His works mostly describes melancholy and memorable feelings, and is very cultural and academic, during these years Cheng put his life in Shanghai, and his creations during these time are mostly about Jiangnan cultures and lifestyles. He is highly praised for his passion and effort pouring Chinese classical cultures into contemporary paintings, he is also generally acknowledged as one of Taiwan artists who have the best achievement in China.

In Cheng's paintings there are not many objects, he is more interested in figuring out essential relation between objects.

Poems and lyrics usually appears in his post-1997 paintings, he concerns about traditional culture. "Lingering Clouds" is from Tao Yuanming's "Lingering Clouds" poem. It is about missing beloved relatives and friends, and express ones emotions. The original text goes like this:

How fair, the lingering clouds!
How misty, the seasonal rain!
Darkness fills the universe,
Blurring the level pathway.
I sit quietly in the eastern study,
Drinking spring wine alone.
My good friends are far away.
Scratching my head, I long for them.

How fair, the lingering clouds!
How misty, the seasonal rain!
Darkness fills the universe;
The land becomes a river.
I have wine! I have wine!
Leisurely I drink by the eastern window.
I yearn to speak to my friends,
But no boats or carts come.

The branches of the trees in the eastern garden
Are again burgeoning.
With their fresh beauty, they compete
To attract my love.
As the saying goes,
Time is short.
How can we find time to sit together
And talk of our lives?

Fluttering, the flying birds
Rest on the branches of my garden tree.
Scratching their feathers, they sit
And harmonize sweetly.
I have many friends
But I think most of you.
I want to talk with you, but you are not to be found.
How I resent it!

"Lingering Clouds" from 1998 is a classic representative work for Cheng' s transformation, there is poem in the picture, and picture in the poem, it's mild but also primitive, the artist had pour his life into his creations.