JIADING native Zheng Rengang is the third generation of a family of artists. His father, Zheng Xiaotong, and grandfather, Zheng Wuchang. Brought up in an art-filled environment he started studying painting at a young age.

In 1987, he went to college and chose China’s first interior design major.

“My thoughts were simple,” said Zheng. “My relatives were painters whose livelihood mainly depended on their artworks. I wanted a job with a stable income. At that time, a pair of 300-yuan (US$44) leather shoes was my dream.”

After graduation, he worked as an interior designer in a Hong Kong-based company. He resigned a year later and returned to Jiading and opened his own design company.

In the early 1990s, the concept of “interior design” hadn’t been popularized in China and most people were inclined to hire the same contractor for plumbing, flooring as well as decoration. Interior designers were generally not well respected.

But as a pioneer in this new line of work, Zheng strove to keep his company in business and soon was getting more and more clients. His business grew and he was earning good money.

Nevertheless, Zheng didn’t feel as happy as he’d expected despite his financial success. He was unsatisfied because he felt his value wasn’t fully realized.

His uncle, Zheng Xiaozheng, an architecture professor at Tongji University, encouraged him to do something else other than merely making money.

Therefore, the 29-year-old Zheng packed a bag and went to study oil painting in Ukraine despite everyone’s skeptical looks.

“I needed to live the way I want,” Zheng says.

As to why he chose oil painting instead of ink-wash painting, something he was already familiar with, Zheng said that all art forms are linked to one another and they all have something in common.

“My grandfather said that a good artist is like a honey bee that flies around and collects nectar from the flowers of both Chinese and Western art.”

Zheng enrolled in the Ukrainian National Academy of Fine Arts, and spent the next eight years there.

The flight from Shanghai to Ukraine’s capital Kiev takes 14 hours. For most ordinary people, it’s a distressingly long journey. But for Zheng, 14 hours just flew by, too quick for him to handle the identity change from the owner of a company to a student.

The memory of his first day in Ukraine wasn’t that glorious.

“I stayed in a basement the day I arrived in Kiev,” says Zheng. “I couldn’t speak a word of Russian, so I didn’t know how to order food. I spent the day hungry and confused.”

Zheng was the first full-time international student at the academy and there were very few people on campus who could speak Chinese. His language teacher had never taught a Chinese student before and had no idea how to communicate with him.

Because the teacher could only speak Russian and English, Zheng tried using a Russian-English dictionary and an English-Chinese dictionary to translate his teacher’s words. He studied from 6am to midnight every day to memorize 150 Russian words and their complicated declensions.

Within three months, Zheng could already converse with local residents.

“My main motivation was to survive. If I didn’t learn the language, I wouldn’t even be able to buy living supplies. People tend to uncover their true potential under extreme circumstances,” Zheng said.

After a year of language lessons, Zheng passed an entrance exam and officially entered the academy to study architectural design and painting.

The students of the oil painting department took classes from 8am to 7pm to learn the theory of painting, art history, anatomy as well as other subjects. They also spent a lot of time practicing their painting skills.

As he gained a deeper insight into the country’s customs and practices, Zheng became emotionally attached to Ukraine. As a result, he decided to stay there after graduation and began research on Ukraine’s landscape.

“There are six villages in Ukraine that are collectively called ‘Chinatown.’ Many locals are unaware of that,” Zheng says.

He discovered that the six villages can be connected by a straight line and after digging into tons of material, came to the conclusion that the villages were part of the ancient Silk Road.

The research has made him more of a Ukraine expert than many of his Ukrainian friends. Some of them ask for his advice before going on a trip.

When Zheng finally came back to China, lots of people asked him about Ukraine. Driven by people’s curiosity and the fact that there was so little done to promote the Ukrainian culture, he decided to make a documentary called “In Love with Ukraine.”

The first barrier was finding money. Few Ukrainian corporations were interested in funding this film.

“Some TV stations and companies suggested that it’d be better if I made this into a reality show or a commercial movie, both of which I said no to.”

Zheng talked a few close friends about investing in the film. They later got the support from the Shanghai International Culture Association, the Embassy of Ukraine in China, as well as Channel 5 of Ukraine. In the process of shooting, many Ukrainian volunteers also provided their help.

Zheng often tells the story of the time he “picked up” a cinematographer for free.

He explains: “We were shooting the sculpture of Nikolai Ostrovsky when a person approached me and offered to be our cinematographer. He introduced himself as a reporter at a local TV station. He was touched that a foreigner was so interested in his country and wanted to share its beauty with the world.”

After three years of shooting and editing, the 60-minute documentary was finally released at the Embassy of Ukraine in China this year.

Ukraine’s ambassador to China Oleg Dyomin spoke highly of the film at the press conference.

“The documentary showcases a Ukraine fresh and unknown to the Ukrainian people through a Chinese artist’s perspective,” Dyomin says.

“Ukraine is my second home. I want to show people what a beautiful nation she is through my camera lens,” say Zheng.

These days, Zheng works as a cultural consultant at the Consulate General of Ukraine in Shanghai. He is on another trip to Ukraine, hoping to uncover more secrets on the Silk Road and get more inspiration for his art.