Huang Yongyu is a celebrated artist known for the primitive beauty of his wood prints and ink paintings. Over the course of his artistic life, which spans over half a century, he also wrote many autobiographical novels and essays. As the latest edition of his book "Along the River Seine to Florence" is released, the master shared some reflections on his artistic journey and the stories behind the creation of his book with China Media Group.

Living in a suburban village in Beijing now, the veteran artist keeps the habit of drawing, even at the age of 99. He views himself as an ordinary "soldier" who has nothing special.

"As long as I'm alive, I want to do something. I always think about what I can do to make each day count," he said.

Huang's friends and family members are preparing a centennial exhibition on his works. When asked about the exhibition, Huang stressed that he will try to impress people by offering some new works.

Born in 1924 in Fenghuang County in central China's Hunan Province, Huang Yongyu left his hometown in his teens. He went to study at Jimei Middle School in Fujian province in southern China. However, the subjects taught in class didn't interest him much, and he found himself drawn to the books in the school library and the world outside.

In his twenties, Huang became fascinated by woodcutting and as a self-taught artist, he created a series of extraordinary woodcut prints. Later, he became a member of the China Woodcut Association and a professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Huang also wrote many autobiographical novels and essays.

"Along the River Seine to Florence" is a book created by Huang about his travel experiences to Europe in the 1990s. It was first published in 2006 and has since been translated into Italian. For many years, the book remained a best-seller in China.

Asked why he could manage to balance and excel in all of these areas such as painting, woodcutting, writing, and sculpting at the same time, Huang said he always tried his best and avoided being careless about his work.

"I always strive to give my best effort in my thinking and painting. I believe that as ordinary people, we should always strive to do our best in our work, even if the results may not always be perfect. The most important thing is that we put in our best effort," said Huang.

He added that in addition to being serious about one's work, people should be happy while working. He used to say that everyone lives a normal life and people should be happy and less sad.

The painting "Tonight" was created in 2022, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Huang said that he wanted to give his best wishes to the world.

"I hope that everyone in the world can experience a night like this, with sweetness and peace. My wish is for people to enjoy good nights like this day by day, month by month, year by year, decade by decade, and even century by century," he added.