It was November 1992 when Schoeni first arrived at my studio. At that time the painters' village of Yuan Ming Yuan was already quite well known. This reputation brought both its pleasures and its problems. The pleasure lay in the fact that our chance of succeeding as artists increased, due to the publicity that such a community generated. The problems arose out of insufficient understanding; the government's policy of low tolerance towards this phenomenon of conglomeration had also bred public gossip.

I arrived in the village in May 1992. For five years before this, I had mainly lived, without even the slightest care for the outside world, at my home in Inner Mongolia, where I was married and had a child. Living in the village allowed me to keep abreast with the latest news and trends in the art world, whilst providing me with endless sources of inspiration.

Getting to know Mr. Li Xian Tin was the most important thing that happened to me that year. The first part of my Consumer Icon series initially gained his support, which proved to be immensely important in boosting my confidence to continue with the works.

The other important event was the arrival of Schoeni. His emergence thoroughly ended our hardships. These hardships were most unfortunate in that we had no source of income and no opportunity to borrow money. If the situation had continued for even a couple more months, I would have had to give up. The path of my life would have been completely different thereafter.

The greatest beneficiary of the arrival of Schoeni was perhaps my child, who was just three years old at the time and ready to go to kindergarten. Although the payment we received from Schoeni was not a huge sum back then, it was enough to immediately relieve us from total poverty. We were able to send for our child, who was still in Inner Mongolia and provide him with the best schooling we always hoped he might have.

My cooperation with Schoeni lasted over 10 years. I will not claim that our cooperation was wrinkle free, as during those years conflicts and confrontations did arise. However, he was always capable of transforming negativity into a sense of positive motivation, thus allowing the artists and the art gallery to move forward as one entity. He would be very pleased to know that his departure had aroused so much grieving and reminiscence among fellow artists. Although his way of working had generated both praise and criticism, no one could deny his substantial influence on numerous Chinese artists and the drive behind the development of Chinese contemporary art as a result.

It was regrettable that my wife Xiao Wen was not able to see him for the last time. They had not met for a number of years. When Schoeni came to my studio for the last time, Xiao Wen also intended to come. I brushed it off, with a casual, "Next time!" Today this nonchalant 'Next time' has become an enduring 'Next time'. Schoeni and I had arranged to have dinner with my whole family, when he came to Beijing in June. This appointment will never be fulfilled either.

At least I am glad that I attended his funeral where I had the chance to bid him farewell, and to try to make up for my feelings of remorse. If I had not gone to his funeral to see him for the last time, I would have spent the rest of my life feeling such regret. Schoeni has left us. Our partnership over the last ten years has been rewarding, with a memorable beginning and a gratifying ending. Not every one of the artists that he worked with was bestowed with such a kind of blessing and luck.

Qi Zhi Long
July, 2004