W: Let’s start from your education and career. Yesterday you said that you first studied art history. That’s interesting.
　　M: Actually my college major was German. Although I had always loved to paint, I was turned down twice by the Nanjing Art Academy -- my paintings showed too much influence from modern Western art, and people in the academy decided that I was not the right student for them. But because my grades in humanities were good, I was able to pass the entry exam to enter the German Department at Nanjing University. I still couldn’t forget art, however. So after graduating from college I applied for the Master’s program in the Department of Art History of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and was admitted. In that program I focused on the history of modern Chinese art. But I continue to paint and eventually became a freelance painter after graduating from the Central Academy.
　　W: Which years were you a freelance artist?
　　M: From 1989 to 1995. But toward the end of this period I decided that I should study art abroad. So I went to Germany.
　　W: What kind of painting were you doing then? Are your later photographs related to these paintings?
　　M: The paintings were oil and semi-abstract. My photographs have a strong emphasis on composition, and I think that this comes from my training as a painter. Actually, I’ve always wanted to practice traditional painting but have never been able to fulfill this hope. Many of my photographs have elongated Other features of traditional painting, such as a moving view point, also have a definite impact on my photographs.