Some of these animal-themed paintings are on show at the exhibition in Chongqing. Yang Jing, the exhibition's curator and Xu's granddaughter-in-law, says such paintings reflect Xu's love of his country and people, his hard work, as well as his loneliness at times when living abroad and worrying about his family and friends back home.

"All his life, Xu was industrious and endeavoring, and he blazed a trail of change in practice and theory (in Chinese art)," Yang says, adding that his artworks have helped to culturally connect Chongqing and Singapore.