The three years that have elapsed since master artist Chang Dai-chien returned to his fatherland have been a period of recuperation for him. Physically, his diabetic condition has eased and he has been able to discard his wheelchair, while mentally he has found satisfaction after a lifetime of wandering. Reflecting this, his poetry no longer has a rootless air, and the inspiration for his painting has switched from the exotic scenery of Switzerland and South America, to Alishan, the East-West Cross-Island Highway and Lishan in Taiwan.

Since his favorite subject for painting is landscapes, it is not surprising that he also enjoys gardening. By immersing himself in nature, he has been able to make his art a reflection of truth.

Chang Dai-chien recalls how he started his wandering life after the Chinese mainland fell to the Communists. He and his wife and children journeyed from India to Hong Kong, Japan and Argentina before they settled down in an area of Brazil where the landscape resembles that in Szechwan province. He invested US$2 million to construct an artificial lake and a traditional Chinese garden which he called "Pa Teh Yuan."

When the government of Brazil decided to establish diplomatic relations with the Chinese Communist regime in 1970, however, he withdrew all his investment and moved to the west coast of the United States. On a visit to Taiwan in 1976, Chang, then aged 78, decided he should settle in his fatherland before it was too late. He again packed up his things to build a new home where he could rest his weary mind and body, in the Taipei suburb of Waishuanghsi.

He has since shown his patriotism through his work as an artist. In protest over Japan and then the U.S. breaking diplomatic relations with the Republic of China, Chang decided he would never use any painting materials made in the two countries, hold exhibitions there or even visit them. During his stay in the U.S., he raised a national flag of the Republic of China in the courtyard of his house so people would not mistake him for a Japanese, and planted hundreds of plum blossom trees to glorify the national flower of his homeland.

Today, the Chang's main leisuretime activities are cooking, strolling in his garden, drinking tea and chatting with his friends. When he loses his temper, he is like an irascible lion. But his landscape paintings still have a majestic beauty despite the handicap of his 82 years.

People find it hard to believe that such an active man has to be cared for day and night by four nurses because of heart disease and diabetes, and that he has to receive physical therapy three days a week for a leg injury he received in an accident several years ago.

He always professes his love for his teachers, relatives, friends, and for all mankind, and even for inanimate objects such as plants and stones.

After painting, Chang's main interest is in the Chinese culinary arts. He demands the most elaborate dishes from his chef.

Among the 15 snacks that Chang lists as his favorites are baked cakes stuffed with sliced turnip, a type of Chinese ravioli with shrimp filling, and shao mai, a steamed dumpling filled with meat. Among different types of tea that Chang always takes with his meals are tieh kuan yin and oolong. Tea must always be served in the traditional way and never in a glass, which Chang says spoils the flavor.

Chang likes to show his hospitable nature by inviting friends to lunch or dinner. Most of the dishes he serves, including steamed cuttlefish with black beans, sauteed sprawns with tomato sauce, sliced pork with garlic sauce, bean curd fried in oyster oil, diced chicken in red pepper, and steamed pork steak in lotus leaves, are in the Szechwan style.

As a result of receiving strict training from Chang, many Chinese chefs, including Chen Chien-ming in Japan and Lou Hai-yun (who recently died in New York), have established worldwide reputations.

All Chang's guests marvel at his gardening stalls. He shows a preference for deep green shades and likes to listen to the murmur of a stream. As the breeze gently caresses his beard and whiskers, Chang feels at peace with the world. After a long rest in the garden, he feels revitalized and ready to return to his work.

As Chang meditates on how to lay out lawns, trees and stones in his garden, he also receives inspiration for his painting.

The first thing that comes into view in his spacious garden is a fishpond, flanked by willows and logs, which is reminiscent of his painting "swimming fish and fallen flowers."

In front of the patio of Chang's house are two ponds and a small canal flanked by several pots of Huangshan pine trees.

A pavilion supported by wooden pillars with a palm coir roof is used for Peiping-style barbecues. Along the snaking paths leading deeper into the garden lie seven to eight pots containing lotus flowers. In the summer, pink and white blossoms inspire Chang to capture the eternity of their beauty with his brush pen.

A large marble table and several marble benches surrounded by a bamboo fence provide a retreat for the artist. A large pottery jar contains water from the nearby river which Chang uses to make tea for his guests.

Next to the bamboo fence are two pavilions called "Feng Han" and "Yi Ran," which Chang regards as the essence of the gardening art. Encompassed by green mountains and a stream, and filled with the sound of flowing water and birdsong, Chang's homestead is like a modern Garden of Eden. The artist likes to recline in his pavilions to contemplate such things as the moon and plum blossoms, or to read poetry in the summer afternoons before dropping off to sleep.

The path through the garden ends in a long cloister made of thatch, palm leaves and wooden pillars. The master feels especially happy when he shares the beauty of the landscape with his friends. The main focus of attention is perhaps the mei chiu (plum rock), inscribed boldly with the two characters "mei chiu" in Chang's calligraphy. Chang brought the rock back from the United States at great expense, but considers its beauty the effort has been worthwhile.

Chang has never regretted the time and money he has spent in hunting down genuine masterpieces of art. It is estimated that if he had not spent his money on art and plant collections, he would be worth some US$100 million today.

In the large workshop downstairs, Chang has installed a photograph of his brother taming a tiger, a painting of plum blossoms and four scrolls of calligraphy by his teacher Tseng Nung-jan, and a famous painting by master Huang Kung-wang. The most eye-catching item, however, is a self-portrait of Chang at the age of 30, which clearly portrays his self-confidence and high spirits. Though he constantly changes his displays, Chang always includes works done by his teachers and his brother to show his respect for them.

After his afternoon nap, Chang likes to talk with his friends on the achievements on prima donnas in classical Chinese opera, the masterly performances of famous acrobats, the activities of people in arts and literary circles, and the life and careers of ancient Chinese painters. These conversations bear witness to his versatility and his profound knowledge of Chinese art history.

Chang says that during his youth, he was like a wild horse galloping through mounnains and across rivers. Although age has made him less mobile, he is still consulted by high-ranking officials, leading actors in Peiping opera, writers and artists, and in fact, people from all walks of life. Thus, he likes to compare him self with "a scholar in ancient times," because though he stays at home, he is kept informed of all the news.

Although the master does not mind people watching while he paints, he is affected by their personality. If he feels in tune with the spectators, he is inspired; if not, he may stop working altogether.

If he does not want to be disturbed while he works, he retires to his new workshop on the top floor of his house. This den is adorned with Chang's collections of precious stones, and outside the window, two monkeys, one black and one brown, keep the artist entertained.

In the daytime, when he is at his best mentally and physically, he paints with bold strokes. In the evening, he paints traditional landscapes. His eminence has not been achieved without effort. He believes that an artist must depend on "70 percent hard work and only 30 percent talent" for his success.

He started to learn painting with his mother and sister at the age of nine, and when he was 20 years old, he received instruction from the two great masters--Tseng Nung-jan and Lee Mei-an. After studying hard and practicing calligraphy and poetry, Chang was able to reproduce almost all the masterpieces kept by collectors in Nanking and Shanghai. In the early stage of his painting career, his works were influenced by Shih Tao. It was not until he was 50 that he escaped from the master's shadow to create his own style.

Between the ages of 30 to 40, Chang spent most of his time absorbing the essence of works of leading painters in the Ming dynasty.

At the age of 40, he started the mammoth task of introducing the art treasures at the Tunhuang Cave to the world. Located at a pivotal point of traffic between the East and the West, Tunhuang has long served as a resting place for high-ranking Buddhist priests expounding Dharma in the east, or Chinese Buddhist monks collecting Dharma in the west. Merchants also often stopped over at Tunhuang.

The caves at Tunhuang, containing Buddhist statues and frescoes dating from the fourth to the 12th centuries A.D., are a living museum of art. Chang Dai-chien spent three years re-numbering the grottoes and reproducing some of the masterpieces housed there. His journey to Tunghuan certainly helped him to reach his lofty position in Chinese art history.

Chinese painting is roughly divided into professional and amateur schools. The former tends to stress realism and the latter expressionism. Before he started his Tunhuang project, Chang Dai-chien painted in the amateur style. After he absorbed the essence of lineal school painting done by Wu Tao-tzu, master of the professional school, he completely changed his approach.

Dai-chien is one of the few artists who has had the opportunity to absorb the characteristics of the two main branches in Chinese art history.

About 10 years ago, Chang began to feel the need for opening a new direction in Chinese classical painting in view of the development of art in the West. His breakthrough came when he started painting landscapes with bold ink strokes.

When he realized that the strokes of green and red could not fully create the effort he wanted, he started to add lines representing human figures or houses, thereby merging the modern spirit with the ideals of classical painting. From the Western point of view, his splash techniques make his work similar to the semi-abstract style in modern painting, but from the standpoint of Chinese painting, they are regarded as being in the classical tradition.

Although Chang never intended to create any art movement, his works serve as a bridge between the East and the West, and ancient and modern theories. Though he has become immortalized in Chinese art history, he continues to expand his knowledge of the Chinese classics and art books. It is this sort of dedication that his life-long progress has been based.

[Picture Caption]

Left: Dai-chien practicing calligraphy at his workshop. Above Dai-chien admires the poetic and pure beauty of lotus flowers, and cultivates several pots of them in his garden. Right: The pond at the entrance of Chang's courtyard is surrounded by old willows and other trees. Multicolored carp add decoration.

Above left: The path leading from the patio to the workshop is shaded by foliage. Below left: The rock inscribed with "Mei Chiu," which Ta-chien brought back from the United States. Above right: The two pavilions "Feng-han" and "Yi-ran" overlooking Waishuanghsi. Below right: A corner of the patio decorated with Huangshan pines.

Above left: The roof of Chang's residence is covered with black tiles. Above right: Though more than a hundred years old, these trees still sprout new shoots. Above: Most of the artist's collection of stones has been brought from Brazil. Right: Huangshan pines, a constant motif of the paintings of Shih Tao.

Left: Monkeys are the artist's favorite pets. Dai-chien's mother dreamed of monkeys before he was born, and so he feels an affinity with the animals. Right: Dai-chien' pets.

Above left: Dai-chien's workshop contains a full array of stationery, brush pens, and portraits of his two brothers. Below left: The screen he bought in Japan. Right from 3 to 5: The masterpiece of Dai-chien's teacher, Tseng Nung-jan; the picture of Dai-chien and his wife; and the calligraphy of Dai-chien's two teachers.

The pond at the entrance of Chang's courtyard is surrounded by old willows and other trees.

Multicolored carp add decoration.

The path leading from the patio to the workshop is shaded by foliage. Below left: The rock inscribed with "Mei Chiu," which Ta-chien brought back from the United States.

The two pavilions "Feng-han" and "Yi-ran" overlooking Waishuanghsi. Below right: A corner of the patio decorated with Huangshan pines.

The roof of Chang's residence is covered with black tiles.

Though more than a hundred years old, these trees still sprout new shoots.

The roof of Chang's residence is covered with black tiles.

Though more than a hundred years old, these trees still sprout new shoots.

Most of the artist's collection of stones has been brought from Brazil.

Huangshan pines, a constant motif of the paintings of Shih Tao.

Monkeys are the artist's favorite pets. Dai-chien's mother dreamed of monkeys before he was born, and so he feels an affinity with the animals.

Dai-chien' pets.

Dai-chien's workshop contains a full array of stationery, brush pens, and portraits of his two brothers.

The screen he bought in Japan.

The masterpiece of Dai-chien's teacher,.

Tseng Nung-jan; the picture of Dai-chien and his wife; and the calligraphy of Dai-chien's two teachers.

Tseng Nung-jan; the picture of Dai-chien and his wife; and the calligraphy of Dai-chien's two teachers.