Editor’s note:

Bi Changyu, 19, was diagnosed with autism when he was 3 years old. He was late in developing his language and motor skills. Today, Bi beat the odds to become an accomplished painter; his works were exhibited at the Milano Expo this July, and appeared on dresses at this year’s New York Fashion Week.

Above is a painting by Bi Changyu. After Changyu was diagnosed, doctors told his parents that hyperactivity, fidgeting and restlessness would accompany him his entire whole life. After years of seeking treatment and special education in many provinces, 7-year-old Changyu and his parents traveled to Beijing, where educators discovered his talent for art. Photos: china.com

 

While in Beijing, Changyu had been asked to draw an apple. According to his father, he quieted down as he took up a pen and produced an impressive likeness. Encouraged, they began to develop his talent.

 

At first, Changyu’s parents looked to art as a way to help him focus. However, his talent for painting was soon apparent. Changyu’s father said he had found art tutors to nurture the Changyu’s talent, but they all said the same thing; the young boy is full of inspiration and formal instruction would only limit him.

 

What impressed Changyu’s teachers most was his bold use of color. “If the sun was out and he was feeling good, Changyu would use bright colors. But at the same time, these was another aspect where he could draw different feelings from the same context,” one of his former teachers said.

 

According to Bi’s father, drawing changed his son. He explained that every time he picked up a brush, the once restless child would sit for hours, focused on his work. “Sometimes his mother and I were worried he was too tired and wanted him to take a break, but he refused to stop until he was satisfied,” said Bi’s father.

 

Bi’s mother recalled how her son first caught the attention of the art world in 2008, when he participated in an art exhibit for children with autism in Beijing’s 798 Art Zone. Bi has since received recognition for his art at home and abroad.

 

Chinese art critics and painters alike praised Bi for his abstract expression. Artist Chen Danqing called him the “Chinese Picasso” in 2011. Another known Chinese painter, Wu Guannan, offered to exchange four of his works for one of Bi’s paintings.

 

Pictured is Bi’s work, Two Girls Running at Seaside, which was exhibited at the China Pavilion during the 2015 Milan Expo this July.

 

For over a decade Bi’s parents have witnessed his talents bloom, which they attribute to his hard work. “All his progress is from his own effort,” they said.

 

Pictured is a silk scarf printed with Bi’s designs. Bi’s father, who is in fabric business, has received orders for fabric with prints of his son’s works.

 

Some fashion brands used Bi’s works on clothing they featured during New York fashion Week Show. Bi recently received an invitation to do a solo show at an Australian gallery.