 At the same time, as an art student, Zeng studied German Expressionism, and the preponderance of social upheaval and intensely felt emotion, against a backdrop of social upheaval, had resonance in his own life.In his "Hospital" series, Zeng moved to a theme that included the use of hospital interiors, where he devoted much of the detail to the patients' moods and the power that certain brush stroking techniques could yield.These paintings often hinted at a sadomasochistic relationship in the world with his pale colors and blood colored flesh of the patients.