Transforming poems into paintings

One of Dai's most celebrated works is a testimony to his painterly passion for literary classics: a long scroll of figures that appears at the end of Shui Hu Zhuan, adapted from The Water Margin, or Outlaws of the Marsh, a highly rated historical drama that first aired on China Central Television in 1998. The TV series was adapted from the eponymous novel by Shi Nai'an, set in the 14th century amid the turbulence of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), and narrates the story of a group of outlaws who organize an uprising against a corrupt imperial court.

Dai's work depicts the 108 heroes who band together to resist oppression.

His prolific output also includes Journey to the West, Dream of the Red Chamber, and other classic novels.

"I am no master artist," he says. "I'm just a grassroots painter who draws for the people."