Born in China and educated at the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing, Xiang Zhang settled in Plano, Texas where he paints with bold impressionism the life of the cowboy from frequent visits to a ranch in the Panhandle. He also paints numerous pictures of female figures, thinking it important to balance the two subjects.

As a child, he and his family were forced to move to the country by the Cultural Revolution of Chairman Mao. He studied anatomy from an exiled medical professor and then after the Cultural Revolution, was able to get a formal education at the Academy of Drama in Beijing. This training combined theater and fine art and gave him a solid designer background and earned him a full scholarship t...