Seeing China: Nothing Like What I Imagined!

——Testimony and Reflections from an American Artist's Qingdao Trip

QINGDAO, China, Sept. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from 1dai1lu.cn

Before traveling to China, he was bombarded with all sorts of warnings: unsafe food, risky drinking water, threats to personal safety, backward conditions and poor transportation. He prepared various protective supplies and nervously set off for what he pictured as a "post-apocalyptic wasteland". Yet his stay of over a month revealed a China utterly different from his preconceptions — one that filled him with genuine admiration.

Eric Rhoads is the founder of Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine and a key driving force behind the modern plein-air painting revival, with far-reaching influence in global art circles. In June, he was invited to the China (Qingdao) International Watercolor Art Season, where he carried out painted plein air across Qingdao, Chengdu and Kunming.

Misled by numerous Western rumors before departure, Eric harbored deep misgivings about China. When he set foot in the country in June, everything exceeded his expectations: modern airports, bustling cities and colorful natural scenery. Above all, the genuine warmth of local Chinese people touched him deeply. Over more than one month, he traveled from Beijing to Qingdao, Chengdu, Kunming and Shanghai. He wandered through cities and mountain villages, paused by seascapes and high-altitude plateaus. While painting outdoors, he observed and immersed himself in ordinary people's daily lives, experiencing the unique cultural identity of this land.

"I have seen a different China! A dynamic and modern China, a harmonious and beautiful China, an astonishing China…" After returning to the United States, Eric wrote two essays, The Colors We Choose to See and What China Taught Me. He remarks that many things people take for granted may not be true. He hopes more people will look at China — and the wider world — through their own eyes, just as he did.

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