As long ago as the early 1980s, when Cai was studying stage design at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, he was exploring different avenues for conveying the possibilities of art. "I thought about shooting firecrackers at a canvas, burning one hole after another until finally the whole canvas burned!"
早在 1980 年代初在上海戲劇學院就讀舞台美術系時，蔡國強就揣想著呈現藝術的各種可能性，「我想到用炮射畫布，把畫布炸出一個個的洞，最後還把畫給燒了！」