Spring lasts forever in traditional paintings

Filled with connotations of renewal and rebirth, spring serves as a powerful symbol, which is why it is often a focus of gongbi painting, the traditional Chinese art of using fine brushwork to depict flowers and birds in detail.

Yu Jigao, a person whose name is synonymous with the style, has made it his life's work to capture the season's beauty in a lasting form.

Drawing on the teachings of two masters in the field - Chen Zhifo and Fu Baoshi - Yu carries on this traditional style from the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties while helping it to evolve into a modern genre.