This series of paintings depicts natural landscapes that resembles the mountains and trees in traditional Chinese paintings. Xu Zhen found these images on Google Maps, and then uses the aesthetics of traditional Chinese painting to filter these digital landscapes, reintroducing the concept of “qi” (vital energy) in nature and expanding the perspective and methodology of traditional Chinese landscape painting. The terrain seen during searches on digital maps is not encountered as it is in the real environment but appears as data on a screen. From the perspective of ancient Chinese painting, mountains and trees are not just physical forms; they symbolize “qi” and the natural order. This represents the harmonization of two different technological approaches and cultural logics. Here, digital tools serve as a means to explore forms, which are then transformed through ink painting.

The composition of this painting appears to be inspired by the works of Li Cheng and Guo Xi. The ancient pine stands tall and rustic, with its trunk depicted in a meticulous, elegant, and precise manner. It seems as though scholars are enjoying tea and conversation beneath the pine, embodying a leisurely and refined lifestyle. The shape of this pine tree comes from satellite imagery of the Karakoram mountain range in the western Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. By blending digital technology with traditional art, the artist expresses an Eastern sense of ambiance and natural order.