Artists who lived in rural poverty only a decade ago now shake their heads in wonder as their works fetch millions of dollars in London and New York. '"This period of history has been as exciting as Paris would have been in the early 1900s'", gushes art historian Karen Smith. '"Out of this kind of incredible period of innovation people will emerge who will be remembered as Picasso and Matisse were'." Lui Xioadong is one of these talented artists. Xioadong has become a revered cynical realist painter and has recently sold at a record US$9.3 million. 'It is a remarkable phenomenon when you think that within our lifetime, a single artist's life has changed so dramatically in every way.'