早稻

In the whimsical realm of Chinese illustration, Zao Dao's art stands as a beacon of childlike wonder and narrative richness. Her work is a tapestry of color and imagination, where the fog of mystery and the smoke of legend converge to create a sense of a world filled with wine, music, swords, and the romanticism of the jianghu, the traditional realm of martial arts.

Zao Dao's illustrations are characterized by two recurring figures: a disheveled, bearded little man and a girl named "A-Gou," who adorns her head with dried fish. Their frequent appearances have made them the protagonists of her comics, leading many to speculate that they are self-portraits. Yet, the enigma of Zao Dao's true identity persists. With a Twitter handle as unadorned as "Zao Dao Wild Beast," the artist defies the typical embellishments favored by others, adding to the intrigue.

Hailing from a poor farming family in Guangdong, Zao Dao could not afford paper, pens, or pigments in her youth. Undeterred, she would rise early, extract dye from gardenia stamens, and use sticks or broken brushes to paint on the ground, with nature as her canvas and flowers as her palette. Her childhood was marked by mischief and a rebellious spirit, spending days running wild, climbing trees, and wading in rivers. She was not a product of rigid educational systems but rather a free spirit, drawing inspiration from the whispers of the natural world and the tales of elders.

Zao Dao's artistic style is as unbridled as her childhood, with a brushwork that is distinctly her own. Her illustrations are wild and bold, yet they carry an elegance and a classical Chinese aesthetic that is both dreamlike and beautiful. Her self-portraits are a testament to her unparalleled ability to blend humor with a rare form of self-deprecation, while her other characters are often ethereal beings of indeterminate gender, beautiful and otherworldly.

Zao Dao's life is as much a contrast as her art—half gentle and delicate like still waters, the other half vast and fierce like raging flames. Despite her massive following, including celebrities like Yao Chen and Chen Li, she shuns the limelight. She has turned down numerous commercial offers, choosing instead to focus on her craft, traveling to Qinghai, Tibet, Yunnan, and Guizhou to absorb the culture and landscapes that find their way into her art.

In 2015, Zao Dao published her first collection, "Pine Wind," a personal narrative of her growth, followed by "Wild Creations" a year later, which included more childhood anecdotes and glimpses of life. Her work has graced the posters of movies like Stephen Chow's "The Mermaid" and the international version of "Monkey King: Hero is Back."

Away from the noise, Zao Dao practices traditional Wing Chun, believing that a strong body brings strength to her art. Despite her fame, she remains humble and grounded, a lover of life and, by her own admission, a food enthusiast who describes herself simply as "a dog who loves food and practices natural, messy kung fu."

Zao Dao, the artist named for the 青涩稻谷 (immature rice stalks) of early harvest, embodies a purity that suggests boundless potential. Her art, like her persona, is a testament to the beauty of simplicity and the power of storytelling.