At an exhibition opening at Shanghai's Minsheng Art Museum, the tinkling of a piano was accompanied by Chinese Kunqu Opera.

The contrast of the two different musical styles was fitting for an exhibition by Weng Xuesong, a man who has spent most of his life serving the arts, but only recently started working as a professional. "The call of destiny seems to always come accidentally," says the 51-year-old.

Born in Chongqing, Weng has been obsessed with painting since he was a child. With inner certainty, the skinny, short kid often spent a whole day painting along the Yangtze River with his easel.