[Photo provided to China Daily]

Traditional literati painting tends not to involve society in order to maintain the painter's sense of a personal, noble and unsullied morality. Vernacular painting, however, actively pursued societal interaction.

His work combines the lines and shading of literati painting with the intervention of vernacular characters.

This is more in keeping with the modern world. Lao Shu notes: "In the past, you could stay in deep mountain seclusion, where you could build a cottage and appreciate the floating clouds, flowing water, and flowers blooming and fading. Now, if you built such a house, officials would find you immediately and demand you demolish it. Living as a recluse is an unrealistic fantasy for intellectuals today."

At the aesthetic level, Lao Shu's painting has broken the rules. Traditionally, the appreciation of literati painting was within the realm of elites only. Viewing such art meant gradually unrolling the work so that the viewers saw the painting little by little. Only when work was completely unrolled could views see the whole image.