Wang Xiaozhao is painting peonies.

Wang Xiaozhao, a 63-year-old painter in Henan province, is famous for painting peonies, which change color with the temperature and humidity.

When Wang was young, he was obsessed with drawing pictures. To make living, he had to study carpentry and open a furniture factory. But his focus was still on painting so he always saved money to go to Luoyang, a place in Henan province renowned for its peonies, to draw pictures. He also used the money earned to study drawing. He spent so much time focusing on his art that he neglected his furniture factory and it closed down quickly. His friends and relatives didn’t support his persistence in painting.

Wang prefers painting peonies. In order to portray the gracefulness of the flower, he began to research how to change the color of his pictures to make them more vivid. After failing thousands of times, he finally developed a new pigment which can change color. Peonies will change purple on sunny days, for example, and, on rainy days, they turn pink. Because of the new pigment, Wang’s works are now appreciated by the public and sell well.

In 2008, he spent 208 days painting a huge scroll of peonies, 208 meters long and 1.2 meters wide, to celebrate the Olympic Games.

He has now been admitted to the China Calligrapher and Painter Association and has won more than 10 awards. He was born to paint peonies.

Wang Xiaozhao and his 208 meter-long 1.2 meter-wide peony scroll