The women in Ling Jian`s paintings reflect his standards of beauty and represent modern Chinese women living in a changing society.

After three decades abroad, artist Ling Jian discovers his cultural roots in fairy tales about the moon maiden. Chen Nan reports.

When artist Ling Jian returned to China from Europe in 2003, and decided to locate his studio in a 400-square-meter, two-floor house in Caochangdi, in the outskirts of Beijing`s northeast, all he was seeking was an environment conducive to his work.

But it turned out to be much more.

"I drove two hours everyday from my downtown home to the studio. It felt like escaping to a land of peace," Ling says.

"Here, I have high white walls, wooden floors and a rabbit. It`s my own heaven."

It was random thoughts about Chinese poetry and legends while spending those long hours on the road that became the source of inspiration for his ongoing exhibition at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, titled Shui Diao Ge Tou or Moon in Glass, a term he borrows from Song Dynasty (AD 960-1279) poet Su Shi.

The artist began to see his quiet retreat as the secret heavenly land of Peach Blossom Spring discribed by Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) poet Tao Yuanming.

He was also drawn to fairy tales about Chang`e, or moon maiden.

Ling, who is known for his portraits of beautiful women and androgynous men, says his oil paintings printed on specially-made colored mirrors represent modern Chinese women living in a changing society.

The women in his paintings have broad foreheads, narrow chins, full lips and wide eyes, reflecting his standards of beauty.

"When I read the old Chinese legends, I found that nearly every story had a beautiful woman, virtuous and gorgeous. They are the angels of those stories. I wanted to depict the angels of today`s society," he says.

The choice of mirrors is deliberate, Ling says. As viewers get closer to them, the image on the mirrors gets gradually replaced by their own reflections.

"It shows the connection between past and present, between the individual and society," Ling explains.

"I wanted to use other mediums to express myself as canvas can be limiting."

Born in Shandong, Ling, 47, spent

nearly three decades in Vienna, Hamburg and Berlin after graduating from the Central Academy of Art and Design (now the Academy of Art and Design, Tshinghua University) in 1982.

Living abroad aroused Ling`s interest in traditional Chinese culture as well as the evolution of Chinese society.

"The longer I stayed abroad, the more I wanted to know about my home country I was eager to find my roots, my cultural identity," Ling says.

The artist says that the past century has transformed Chinese women. When he returned in 2003, he was excited to see the modern Chinese woman - independent and confident.

"The women in my paintings are representative of our times," he says.