Gu Yuan once said during his years at middle school, he was attracted to works by Jean-Francois Millet, the 19th-century French artist known for his realist approach to depicting farmers and peasant life. He said Millet's paintings made him realize the important meaning of art concerning the plight of ordinary people, especially those struggling at the grassroots of society.

Gu Yuan said he was also motivated by the modern woodcut movement initiated by prominent writer Lu Xun, who emphasized the use of woodcut prints as an effective medium to advocate people's needs and social changes.

When Gu Yuan began producing prints in Yan'an, his works presented a noticeable influence by German artist Kathe Kollwitz and the former soviet style-but farmers found these works difficult to comprehend. He later tried to incorporate the form and the palette used in Chinese New Year woodcuts and folk arts such as paper-cuts.

"China boasts a rich cultural heritage, which really should be valued by Chinese artists," Gu Yuan once said.