GROWING up as a young man in Kunming, Yunnan Province, Ye Yongqing was often referred to as “handsome Ye.”

Now 58, Ye, who was in Shanghai for his solo exhibition “Overgrown Garden Sequel — Ye Yongqing 2016,” still retains his charm as admirers clamor for his autograph and insist on having pictures with him.

Clad in a mint-green linen shirt and casual jacket, it is obvious that Ye is fashion conscious.

Born in 1958, Ye graduated from the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts in 1982 and is counted among prominent artists in China’s contemporary art scene.

There is an old Chinese saying — the unique features of a local environment are always passed on to its inhabitants.

Yunnan, in southwestern China, enjoys spring-like season all year around. Flowers bloom and fruits ripen in abundant sunshine. People of the province are known for their optimistic character, and Ye is no exception.

He has never been too aggressive either in his art or in his career path. Ye is at peace wherever he feels comfortable and remains undisturbed by the hustle and bustle outside. When China’s contemporary art was booming a decade ago, Ye neither took the lead or dropped out of it completely. He was close but never too close.

Ye is among a horde of artists who have set up studios in Yunnan. He divides his time between Beijing and Dali in Yunnan.

Beautiful Dali is locked between the rugged Cangshan Mountain and the beautiful Erhai Lake. Farmers still carry traditional woven baskets on their shoulders. But the city has begun to change, emerging as a backpackers’ paradise full of inns, hostels, coffeehouses and watering holes. Tourists are drawn to its scenic location and balmy climate, which is never freezing cold in the winter nor sweltering in the summer.

“In my home, among the mountains and waters of Dali, the rustic, cultural customs are still being passed on till today. I refer to it as my home, but not merely as a geographic reference, but it is also the home of my own spirit. Today Dali is an amazing city, especially for artists and poets, where the atmosphere is free and leisurely without outside disturbances,” he says.

“I am a person who loves to travel. It’s true that traveling around the world has opened up a new window for me: How big is this world? How high are the mountains? How long is this road? How open is the heart?”

Explaining the title of this exhibition at Longmen Art Projects, Ye says, “‘Overgrown Garden’ alludes to the classical ‘Chinese Mustard Seed Garden Picture Album.’ It is a dreamland, a secret garden that I have been contemplating since 2010.”

Unlike his early works, the recent creation of “Overgrown Garden” is closer to Ye’s current artistic introspection from the ecological environment in the garden of overgrown weeds, the peacefulness, and the freedom of living with mountains and streams, flowers and birds.

In fact, Ye brought this garden to real life and designed a small yard outside his house in Yunnan.

“Although so far there are no vegetation or birds, it does not prevent me from imagining the look of this garden and strolling, either in my mind or my dreams.”

Using his familiar motif of small, intricate, crisscrossing strokes to stitch together broader strokes on the seemingly bare canvas, Ye constructs a dichotomy of Western expression and Chinese literati sentiments. From afar, the strokes come together to portray a freehand sketch of birds and landscapes. It is only on closer inspection that the viewer realizes the artist’s persistent and strenuous methods to appreciate his overwhelmingly repetitive tenacity.

“Far away from Yunnan’s tropical red clay, this exhibition is a diary of this pleasing experience. People may find it appealing to join me in my ‘study,’ and catch a glimpse of what the future holds,” Ye says.

Date: Through July 23 (closed on Mondays), 10am-6:30pm

Address: Suite 102, Tian An Center, 338 Nanjing Rd W.

Q: Did you ever copy the “Chinese Mustard Seen Garden Picture Album” when you were a child?

A: No. when I was little, I was unable to get anywhere closer to such books. All I had at that time was the political paintings. Till the 1990s I had this album. During that period, I travelled a lot, and the album accompanied me on my trips. Actually I often go though the album now, and remind myself of seeing the world through the eyes of a Chinese.

Q: You are building a garden in Yunnan. How big is it and how much time do you need to finish it? Are you doing all the designs?

A: The yard is small and divided into public and private sections. I called it “book shop” where I can read the books, sleep and dream. The things we have never achieved, and the places we have dreamed of always arrive in words and paintings. For me, the dreams have been realized in books and imaginations.

The construction work is nearly completed. There are some changes, and different from what I drew first on the paper. I plan to plant flowers, trees or even vegetables in the garden. For me, this is a great enjoyment.

Q: If you had the chance to travel back in life, which part do you want to go back to?

A: I want to go back to when I was 10 years old. It was the time when I took a train in my life. When the train started, all the familiar scenes at home confronted me like in the movies. What gradually unveiled before me is something I knew nothing off.

Q: Your canvas, at first, was filled with brilliant colors, then it becomes plain, and now it is colorful again. Does such change imply your attitude toward life?

A: Life changes, age changes, and one’s experience changes. I try to use new methods for these changes, because I am expecting something that is hidden but beautiful.

Q: Besides painting, what’s the most beautiful experience in life?

A: Discovering.

Q: Some people are reluctant to accept the aging process. How do you deal with it?

A: I no longer “resist” it. Life is like a continuous learning process. For me, the rest of my life seems like a walk down the slope with a pair of empty hands.

Q: What books are you reading at the moment?

A: I happened to read a small book titled “The Last Model.” It describes the later years of Giacometti. At the end of the book, the heroine says, “I used to be his paradise.” Then I thought of “Overgrown Garden,” it might be my new inspiration.