Artist Statement
A Moment in Time
My Journeys to Tibet

Tibet has a long and rich history as a flourishing center of Buddhism and learning, as well as periods where it was a strong regional military power. However, despite Tibet’s actual history, due to its remoteness and isolation, it remained until the mid-20th century a “Forbidden Land” to Westerners, a mythical Utopia far above the troubles of the modern age. Today, the lands of Tibet’s historical kingdoms encompass not only the actual territories of China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, but also parts of neighboring Gansu province, Qinghai province, Sichuan province and Yunnan province.

When I first visited Tibet in 1987, travel was difficult and slow, via unpaved dirt roads. I was fast captivated by its splendid landscape and the hospitable people who lived at the roof of the world! Having grown up in faraway southern China, I never imagined that I would someday have the chance to explore Tibet. The mark that first encounter left would lead me to take seven more trips to Tibet during the following twenty-nine years.

Over time, I have seen many different parts of Tibet: from the northern Qinghai-Tibet plateau to the western Himalayan range, from a nomad’s tent in the pasture to the Potala Palace and Jokhang Monastery in Lhasa, or from Tibet’s northern gateway of Mt. Tanggula to Tibet’s southern gate of Rongpu on the foothills of Mt. Everest.

My passion for Tibet has made me strive to paint Tibetan subjects for many years. I am fascinated by the chance to paint whatever I can see. I can’t tell whether I go back in order to paint, or I paint in order go back. At the same time, I feel like I have not much time to lose, as the modern world’s effect on traditional Tibetan culture grows year by year.

I am very excited and honored that Trailside Galleries would host a showcase for me. With much appreciation, I hope that each painting at the show will faithfully represent a moment in time as seen through my eyes, and that each painting will help preserve the beauty of Tibetan culture and share it with future generations.