The Green Dog series is immediately identifiable as one of Zhou Chunya's most recognized works. It has been described as Sculpture on Canvas. The art critic Lu Peng says in Narrating the Green Dog：His dog was a big responsibility in the artist's life more so than human being. A dog as a companion has become an unconscious desire of many people living in cities and urban areas as they have become divorced and separated from nature. The loyalty and dependability of a dog is a comfort to people, and adds a depth of meaning, bringing color and feeling to an otherwise dull and meaningless life.

Zhou's green dog was inspired by Heigen, his close companion during many years. He presented the Green Dog series for the first time in 1997. Zhou sees the green dog as a symbol, a sign. 'Green' represents tranquility, romanticism, lyricism, a state of quietness before an outburst of energy. Such a symbol makes sense when it is understood to represent the image of Heigen, his beloved dog. In 1999, the death of Heigen from illness caused Zhou great pain and he stopped painting green dogs. In early 2001, after the artist was back into peace, he returned to another new series of Green Dogs works. The lost of his beloved dog Heigen, the artist created another more fierce and more bold form of this Green Dogs which was resulted in the sadness and the grief that the artist had at that time.

The year 2002 marked a major turning point in the life of artist Zhou Chunya. It was at this time that his style began to shift. As he endured grief and anger brought by the loss of his canine companion before coming to terms with its passing, his themed project Green Dog underwent drastic changes. This particular rendition of Green Dog is a portrayal of the tranquility he felt upon making peace with himself. Gone are the days of striking exaggerations of the canine's physique and form; instead, the dog is drawn with a gentle simplicity that warms the viewer's heart. This can be interpreted as Zhou Chunya reminiscing as he deconstructs his past work, Heigen, and enhances it as he makes it anew. The actual main components of the painting are the wide, dynamic brush strokes that make up the subject of the image, with each ebb and flow of the brush perfectly on point. The brushwork of the green is extremely light, to the point where each and every stroke is distinguishable from the vast white background, as if you could see right through the very soul of the dog and the emotions of the artist with a single glance. It also inherits the artist's signature expressionist methods without the usual overflowing chaos of muddy colors. He combines them with negative space painting techniques utilized in traditional Chinese paintings that, aside from creating a unique visual effect, presents the image with a natural clarity that better replicates the artist's state of mind during the creation of this piece. Though the gesture and form of the dog came from the artist's imagination, new philosophies and fresh perspectives are added to Green Dog in the way it casually gazes off into the distance, with the ghost of the smile upon its gaping mouth as it sits in the painting with a quiet patience and grace, creating an alluring air of contentment. Not only does this work merge the substantial meaning of Heigen into itself, it has evolved to harmonize the spirit of the artist with the subject of his creation. A breakthrough full of ideologies, Zhou Chunya's return to this series truly is a revolutionary masterpiece in itself.