"Mountain-and-water paintings have been able to express my emotions at all stages of my life. By exploring them and getting close to nature, I feel that nature is nourishing me. It can broaden my mind," said Chinese artist Qiu Ting, who can't help but express his love for this style of painting.

Born in1971 in south China's Guangdong, Qiu became interested in traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy at a very young age, accumulating a solid foundation in traditional Chinese culture. By 2000, he had received bachelor's and master's degrees in Chinese painting from the China Academy of Art. In 2004, he received a doctorate from the Academy of Arts and Design of Tsinghua University, under the tutelage of master painter Zhang Ding.

Qiu was deeply influenced by Zhang's belief in traditional art, and his broad vision relating to education. "He gave a great example of how a person can be both erudite and specialized," Qiu said.

Over the past decades, Qiu has been committed to exploring the "language" of Chinese painting, especially the dialogue between traditional ink-and-wash painting with other art categories.

"Qiu Ting has always been exploring the language and form of Chinese painting. He has done very subtle and profound work in this respect. So his works not only have a magnificent atmosphere, but also show the exquisite use of brushes, water and ink," said Fan Di'an, director of the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

Recently, an exhibition named "Blazing A Brilliant Trail" was held in Beijing, featuring over 160 works by Qiu spanning several decades. Du Pengfei, executive director of the Tsinghua University Art Museum, believes Qiu's works "represent a direction of combining Chinese painting with the trend of modern art."

"Qiu Ting's landscape painting inherits the long tradition of Chinese landscape painting, while also making innovations. He uses traditional brush and ink language to create works with modern aesthetics," Du added.

In 2021, noted theater director Stan Lai visited an exhibition by Qiu and was deeply touched by the qualities of the works. So he invited Qiu to cooperate in producing the stage art of the new version of his play, "Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land."

An "Idyllic Existence" series was later derived from this cooperation, as a continuous expansion of the dreamy atmosphere of Qiu's creation. It reconstructs the spatial logic of traditional Chinese painting, showing the infinite possibilities of ink-and-wash painting through the continuous generation of digital programming.

"I always wanted to create a work that combined ink-and-wash painting with digital technology, so I decided to transform the illusion of 'Peach Blossom.' A new visual logic is formed through the programmed algorithm of a digital image. I believe the combination of tradition and modernity should come naturally," said Qiu. He sees this creation as a tribute to science and technology, as well as to ink-and-wash painting.

Qiu can find inspiration from various art forms, including Western classical music. "In my understanding, the structure and rhythm of mountains in Chinese landscape paintings are actually very close to some principles of music," he said.

He is now a professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts and serves as deputy director of the school of Chinese painting. Apart from giving classes, he also takes students on sketching tours, giving them a chance to experience the beauty of Chinese landscapes and immerse themselves in nature. Qiu believes that sketching plays an important role in understanding the relationship between humans and nature.

Since the 1990s, Qiu has participated in large exhibitions in various countries including Japan, France, Germany and the United States. He believes this kind of activity plays an important role in communicating between peoples and promoting Chinese culture.

"Mountain-and-water paintings represent the sensibility of all humanity, because they explore the eternal topic of humans and nature. It is easy to spread and communicate this without much explanation. You can move viewers as long as the work is good. It is borderless," said Qiu.

Contemporary Chinese artists have the responsibility to promote this art, or in other words, to tell China's stories well, he added.