Lin Dihuan: Young Chinese painter with a real zest for life
Updated 13:10, 02-Jun-2019
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China's 24 Solar Terms were added to UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list in 2016. Through his pictures depicting the terms, the wildly-popular Chinese painter Lin Di'huan played a major role in the application's success. He is now preparing for a cartoon exhibition at next month's G20 Summit in Japan. Yang Yan has more.
A panda running after a bamboo. Representing the fast development of the country's animation industry, this is set to be China's theme picture at an cartoon exhibition for G20 Summit.
Lin earned his fame creating a series of ink and brush paintings based on China's "24 Solar Terms". The terms are derived from the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, where each one has its own characteristics.
This group of paintings were part of its bid to be deemed an intangible cultural heritage. They were said to help the 24 terms come alive on paper.
LIN DIHUAN PAINTER "When I was drawing the 24 solar terms, I thought more about Chinese philosophy, I tended to involve them in it. And, at the same time, I hope it's down to earth and fun. My creations in this series are in a fresh style."
Lin came to prominence in China through the television show "Rendezvous With Chinese Poetry". He received acclaim for the way in which he was able to translate poetry into art.
LIN DIHUAN PAINTER "I'm working on a Chinese painting, but I added some other elements, such as a technique of western Impressionism, as well as light and shadow effects. I like taking photos, so I am sensitive about light and shadow. I'd like to put complicated elements of different styles into my paintings, some real wonderful techniques."
From early age, Lin was fond of painting and calligraphy. However, he instead opted for a career in medicine. After graduation, he taught at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province. He said he still takes inspiration from learning medicine.
LIN DIHUAN PAINTER "Five years as a medical student helped me a lot in my artistic creation. I comprehend writing techniques from surgical incision techniques. The accuracy, the force, it is essential to master it and use it wisely. More broadly, medicine is a science of rational analysis and logical thinking. It also helps artistic creation."
Ever since Lin was introduced to the concept of cyberspace, he has been an avid fan.
He has uploaded his paintings and photos to the Internet, and now has more than one million followers on social media. He's also quite active in society, always willing to help those who need it the most, such as so-called left-behind elderly and children.
Lin is now reading the Chinese herbology volume 'Compendium of Materia Medica' -- considered the most influential text among the Traditional Chinese Medicine community.
He says he wants to tease out its contents in a modern and scientific way. Meanwhile, as somebody who always has a zest for life, he says his success is based on doing the things he likes. Yang Yan, CGTN.