Wu Tseng Jung was born in the Dongshi District of Taichung City in 1942. He began drawing at the age of 20 and later on graduated from the department of civil engineering at the National Taipei Institute of Technology. WU founded his own architecture design studio in 1971. He gained recognition with his design of the Dongshi District Office, nicknamed “The Smiling Cattle” due to WU’s incorporation of his childhood memory of herding cattle. His other notable design projects include the public housing for Taichung’s Lilin Community, the Taipei City Hall (co-designed with LEE Chun-Jen and Wang Li-Fu) and an apartment building in Linkou District. A year after setting up his studio, WU served as the first director of the Taipei Architect’s Association. He also taught at the China University of Technology, the Chien Hsin University of Science of Technology, the Chung Yuan Christian University. In 1982, WU started writing for the design column in “Phoebes”.
After winning the bid for the Taipei City Hall, he abruptly ended his career in architecture and devoted himself to painting. His subject matters include the mountain and forest scenery of Taiwan, the campus of National Taiwan University, and his friends. In 1991, he released a design book called “Dances with the Land”. After turning to painting, WU seldom made any appearance at architecture events, making him a figure of mystery in the industry. WU's paintings are is a reflection of the inner pursuit hidden beneath his quiet and reserved persona. His style shifts between the figurative and the abstract, watercolor and ink wash painting, filled with both negative spaces and watercolor. This isn’t due to any compromising, but rather his incessant experimentation with different aesthetics. WU is a lone literati of the modern age. Despite living in the metropolitan of Taipei, his spirit longs to roam in the expansive mountains and endless sky.