The author has loved painting from a young age. He first learned to paint in Chung Ling High School, Penang, where he was taught the Chinese style as well as the Western style of painting. He learned the basic steps to painting as well as the painting history of China and Europe. He was a journalist for 13 years and a politician for 30 years. His interest in art and music was renewed after he became Minister of State for Culture in 1965.