Art master Song Chen graduated from the Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University before beginning work for China Daily in 2013. As art editor for China Daily Africa, Song Chen has a unique challenge and opportunity as her compelling art is often the whole front page – a rare achievement in modern journalism but a necessity to illustrate the vast wealth of stories documenting the growth of China-Africa relations.

Motto: Acquire power from peace, become strong from gentle.

Song Chen: “I am good at hand drawing. Rich color and forceful expressions are my favorite and my illustrations embrace a variety of styles. My early work mainly composted by propylene, poster color and oil painting, later I gradually learned to draw on computers. Personally, I intend to keep painting alive by combining hand drawing and computer aided design. My inspiration comes from every drop of daily life. I believe that every person has his own life and way of thinking. When you pay attention to people, you find special things. In my perspective, practice is the first and most important tip for creation, only by practicing, can you improve.”