While Chen Danqing lived in Tibet during the 1970's, he was inspired to depict the customs and daily life of its inhabitants and its landscapes in his art. After returning to Beijing, he entered the Central Academy of Fine Art in 1978. Upon graduation in 1980, he joined the faculty as a lecturer and the same year held a solo exhibition in its gallery. In 1982 he emigrated to the west, heading first to France. That year one of his paintings was accepted in the Salon de Printemps in Paris. In 1983 he moved to the United States and held a one man exhibition at Wally Findlay Gallery in New York. Since then he has participated in several group exhibitions in the New York area. Currently, some of his large photo-realist works are on exhibition at gallery in Phoenix, Arizona. His paintings are in the collection of the Chinese National Gallery and numerous private American collections.