This creation is a series of illustration infusing the Chinese tradition into Western art. The Western world has long been considered as the world leader in contemporary art and popular culture. In recent years, Chinese culture has flourished in the Western world, not only in the sphere of art but also in a wider context of cultural traditions. Therefore, I believe it is important to take advantage of our own cultures and reconsider them in the cultural and creative industries in Taiwan. There are many elements in Chinese myths that can be reinvented into contemporary themes in popular cultures, such as High Fantasy. This is an attempt to offer a modern interpretation of traditional Chinese culture. In so doing, this project hopes that it can increase people’s understanding of our culture and thus raise their interests even further. Therefore, I want to use illustration techniques to highlight the contrast between the Chinese traditions and the modern world.

The backbone of this project is the legend of the Nian monster of the Chinese New Year. Although the legend is widely known, it is not well documented in comparison to other Chinese myths. The Chinese New Year is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture but the legend appears to be somewhat neglected.. As a result, the mystery of the Nian monster has trigged my interest and become the initiative of this creation.

I have chosen to foreground the Nian monster amongst the high-rise buildings in Taipei as the background to highlight the conflicts between the modern society and traditional Chinese culture. Furthermore, I also want to link it to the widely discussed environmental issues. Due to global warming, the weather is allegedly becoming unpredictable. This creation depicts the ways in which disasters such as flood and drought can destroy Taipei city. Under these extreme conditions, the hungry Nian monster woke up as usual and found the city deserted. The monster was eager to eat everything that is available, even though there was not much left. This creation hopes to send a visual warning and invites its viewers to pounder the question, "Are you also playing a part in waking up the Nian monster by destroying our own planet?"

This creation comprises four full standard size illustrations, with topics of <Twisting Darkcloud>, <Thunderhorn>, <Frozen Lair> and <Forsaken Skyscraper>, using computer graphic techniques.