In the summer of 2017, Xie Xiaoze took part in a monthlong residency program at the Dunhuang Academy in Gansu province. The artist, who is also the Paul L.& Phyllis Wattis Professor of Art at Stanford University, spent a lot of time reading, thinking and creating.

He also spent time talking to the academy's scholars, sometimes in the canteen in dinner time, and their modesty, austerity and seriousness left a deep impression on him. As did the place itself. Looking out from his room window at night, Xie could see the faint light that illuminates the rows of caves at Mogao where for centuries, monks once lived and meditated.

He described his time there as "simple, peaceful, and a fulfilling experience".