East Meets Everywhere: 8 Chinese illustrators you need to know about

These amazing artists are mixing tradition with tech, calligraphy with chaos… and the results are mesmerising.

If you think of “Chinese illustration” as a single style, think again. From Shanghai to Chengdu, New York to Tokyo, a new generation of artists is rewriting the rules of visual storytelling. And few agencies showcase this mix of talent quite like Caper Illustration.

Founded between London and Shanghai, Caper represents illustrators from around the world, and that includes a bunch of talented Chinese illustrators who you may not have heard of… but you really should get to know.

Collectively, their work spans genres, ranging from surrealism to street culture, as well as ink painting, motion graphics, and geometric abstraction. Some draw on centuries-old traditions, others dive deep into pop culture. But what unites all of them is art that travels, bridging East and West with style, skill and imagination.

1. Enle Li

Enle Li is a visual artist and animation director splitting his time between New York and Tokyo. A graduate of the School of Visual Arts, he turns geometry into narrative, creating abstract worlds that are equal parts playful and poetic. His typographical animations feel alive, evoking nostalgia and the gentle absurdity of childhood, while his motion work deconstructs and reassembles forms into unexpected visual stories.

Between 2019 and 2023, Enle taught at the School of Visual Arts, mentoring students and collaborating with global brands. Today, his clients include Apple, Google, Nike, Tiffany & Co., Spotify and UNIQLO. If you’re seeking illustration that’s both intellectually clever and emotionally engaging, Enle’s work is well worth checking out.

2. Currynew

If pop culture had a visual soundtrack, it would look a lot like the work of Peter Zhang, aka Currynew. Based in Shanghai, he’s known for masterfully fusing music, gaming, fashion and street culture into bold, kinetic illustrations that vibrate with energy.

Drawing on his background in advertising, Currynew balances chaos with clarity, creating art that’s as communicative as it is vibrant. Exploring both personal emotion and cultural resonance, his visuals provide a playful yet profound perspective on contemporary life. His work for clients—including Gucci, Apple, Nike, Coca-Cola, Reebok and McDonald’s—is fearless, youthful and unapologetically alive. In short, this is the kind of illustration that stops you mid-scroll.

3. Laomo Wang

Laomo Wang brings serenity to the digital age. Based in Changzhou, her delicate Chinese ink-inspired illustrations blend soft colour washes over rice-paper textures, producing intimate, meditative compositions. Each piece feels like a quiet breath in a busy world.

Laomo sees creativity as self-exploration, and that personal depth shows in every brushstroke and wash. Her art manages to feel timeless while remaining unmistakably contemporary with clients including Heineken, Penguin Random House and GQ Live Magazine. Laomo’s work proves that subtlety can be just as powerful as spectacle in modern illustration.

4. AMAO

Playful, bold and endlessly dynamic, AMAO is an illustrator, motion designer, and VR artist based in Shanghai. After graduating from Osaka University of Arts and working in Japan, she returned to China to found her studio MOU, which specialises in illustration, animation and art direction.

AMAO’s colours, confident shapes and lively characters turn everyday life into a visual celebration. There’s humour in every frame, along with a palpable joy that makes her work instantly engaging. With a client list that includes Apple, Google, Gucci, Starbucks, The Independent, and McDonald’s, her practice demonstrates that commercial illustration can be both technically precise and emotionally exuberant.

5. Dong Qiu

Dong Qiu reinterprets classical Chinese painting through contemporary eyes. Based in Shanghai, she crafts cinematic, myth-laden scenes full of delicate lines and rich colour. Recurring motifs—girls, hands, flowing forms—make each piece feel intimate yet expansive.

Dong’s compositions bridge ancient folklore and modern imagination, blending classical aesthetics with expansive, fantastical elements. The result is artwork that is at once timeless, mysterious and richly ornate; in her hands, Chinese tradition becomes endlessly inventive. Clients include Walt Disney, Swatch, Lenovo, Oreo, HarperCollins and Penguin Press.

6. Jiawen Chen

Jiawen Chen creates dreamlike, bold, and surreal worlds from her base in Guangzhou. Dramatic perspectives, unexpected compositions and striking colour palettes pull viewers into her cinematic visual narratives. Abstract concepts are transformed into symbolic, futuristic imagery, creating tension and depth that make her work instantly captivating.

Her work for clients, including Apple, HarperCollins, Harvard Business Review, LA Times, and Morning Brew, is invariably imaginative, emotional, and vividly alive. If you’re seeking surreal, story-driven illustration that pushes boundaries, Jiawen is a must-follow.

7. Raven Jiang

Now based in New York, Raven Jiang creates illustrations that unfold like a symphony. Combining geometric precision with expressive storytelling, her work translates human emotion into visual form with elegance and rhythm.

Each composition strikes a balance between structure and artistry, guiding the viewer through a layered, harmonious narrative. With clients such as The New Yorker, The New York Times, Bloomberg Markets, Barron’s and Fast Company, it’s the kind of work that feels simultaneously designed and deeply felt. In short, if you’re looking for illustration that’s smart, stylish, and strikingly emotive, this is a good place to come.

8. Zaoyu Lin

Chengdu-based Zaoyu Lin brings myth, magic and vibrant colour together in playful micro-worlds. Inspired by both Eastern folklore and Western artists like Moebius, his crisp lines and high-saturation palettes create whimsical, joyful scenes that feel gloriously alive.

With characters that are full of personality, inhabiting imaginative spaces that spark delight while hinting at narrative depth, Zaoyu’s work blurs reality and fantasy with a distinctive, energetic style. If you’re hunting for magical, character-driven illustration, Zaoyu is a standout talent. Clients include Apple, McDonald’s, Shake Shack, Condé Nast and The Journal Magazine.