Water is imbued with philosophical meanings in Chinese cultural tradition. For example, Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing), the classic text of Laozi, the thinker who lived nearly 2,500 years ago, says "shang shan ruo shui", meaning the highest goodness is like water, to benefit all lives without struggling with them.

Artist Bai Shui grew up in Jiangnan, the picturesque southern region of the Yangtze River's lower reaches. Water is no stranger to her, not only because it is part of her name — shui means water in Chinese — but also, she was raised up in an environment that was water-rich — rivers, streams and rain.

Her works reflect an intimacy with water, laced with an emotional attachment to her hometown, and philosophical outlook of water as a reflection of oneself, the relations between one and his or her surroundings and nature.