Chu Teh-chun's mural-sized oil painting "Symphonie Festive"(430x730cm) was completed in 2003 and snatched up in the same year to become part of the Shanghai Grand Theater's permanent collection. Through vivid colours and a great variety of shifting patterns, the artist conveys a merry atmosphere with a brisk and relaxed rhythm reminiscent of a symphonic poem.

Critics have coined the term "paysagisme des songes"to describe Chu Teh-chun's painting style. His more recent work in particular displays a natural and uninhibited release of form and color. Together with Zao Wou-ki, Chu Teh-chun is one of the most famous abstract painters of Chinese descent, both in China and internationally. But unlike Zao, who tends to simply name his works after the date of completion, Chu usually devises poetic titles, which point the beholder towards deeper appreciation of the painting. When Chu had finished the oil painting "Symphonie Festive"in 2003, the Shanghai Grand Theater proposed to solicit possible translations of the original title from the residents of Shanghai. Chu readily accepted that proposal, and added wittily: "The Chinese people are very good at translating foreign names, such as Fontainebleau or Champs Elysées, so I am sure they will come up with a very befitting Chinese title for my painting!"

Chu himself has a keen sense for the poetic dimension of Paris' "historic backgarden"that is so aptly reflected in the Chinese translation of "Fontainebleau" In the painting "Aux alentours de Fontainebleau" he employs bright, exquisite lines and multiple, super-imposed layers and nuances of color to communicate his impressions of that splendid classical French garden.