Born in Shandong, Yu Chung-lin developed his passion in painting. Under the rage of war, he did not go through any formal art training at an early age until 1949 when he relocated to Taiwan. He sat in a class of Flower-and?Bird genre hosted by Professor Jin Qin-bo at the National Taiwan Normal University and started his official career in paintings. Starting through copying old master works and life studies, he developed his own style from the Song and Yuan school. resulting in a unique and elegant style of modern Flower-and-Bird gongbi paintings.

This work was set in the early summer of 1979 with a carefully planned structure. A branch of cypress spreads across the painting from left to right, while a blue magpie poises on a twig. Leaves of the cypress fill the space in large volume, layered by various gradations of ink to highlight the glamourous bird, creating a stark contrast of colour. Delicate gongbi was applied to depict the colourful feathers in his uniquely blended Yu Chung-lin blue. Such saturation and brightness is unique to this colour. Blue magpie is a unique bird species in Taiwan, living among heavy vegetation and low altitude. It is known for its bright blue features with a white tip. Yu Chung-lin was keen on drawings based on observing nature. He was meticulous in observations to accurately depict the features of the bird, making it spring to life on paper. After moving to Taiwan, Yu Chung-lin's subjects became closer to the local culture. Hence this painting of blue magpie and cypress becomes a typical example of his works.