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Jian Zhong Cai
Many years ago, the author joined the wave of China’s “Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside” movement, traveling far to a southern island to sweat and toil in land reclamation.
Later, he worked diligently in a factory filled with the roar of machines. In his thirties, carrying artworks created through years of self-study, the author once again sat in the bright classrooms of a university to receive a systematic education in the art of painting.
In the years that followed, he chose photography as a profession — a decision that required him to acquire an entirely new set of skills. Fortunately, his early training in painting greatly supported his development as a photographer.
Over a professional photography career spanning more than two decades, the author had the opportunity to work at the world’s largest photographic company, engaging in manual darkroom work. This marked the beginning of another period of intensive study and demanding labor — a rigorous, structured experience that proved immensely rewarding in hindsight.
While working in the darkroom, he also began teaching photography and painting. For over twenty years, he dedicated himself to widely accessible and effective arts education.
Throughout decades of life and work, he never ceased painting — creating prints, oil paintings, and comic illustrations. Art is about accumulation, reflection, and above all, a lifelong pursuit. It has been a long journey — and perhaps, it is far from over...