Lee Chung-chung was born in 1942 in Tunxi County, Anhui Province. She moved to Taiwan in 1947. Her father Lee Jinyu graduated from Beijing Jinghua Art College, specializing in traditional Chinese painting. Lee practised painting, calligraphy and ink and wash from an early age. With this background Lee developed a talent for ink and wash. Lee attended the Fine Arts Department of Fuxinggang Political Warfare College. There she trained in multiple styles of art, even studying oil painting under Lin Kegung for several years. After graduating in 1967, Lee formed the Ben Yu Art Society with Wang Kai, Jin Kai-hsin, Yang Sheng-hsiong, Shen Lin-bin, Chen Wen-tsang. She started to take part in various artistic activities.

In 1968 Lee joined Liu Kuo-sung's Chinese Ink and Wash Painting Society. She started to explore modern ink and wash painting. Many major artists of the time working in modern ink and wash were members of the Chinese Ink and Wash Painting Society. The group often held large scale exhibitions of its members’ work, and Lee always played an important role in these exhibitions. In 1970 Lee decided to focus on ink and wash. She experimented with a number of different techniques and styles. She developed a lyrical abstract ink and wash style, and her work became more refined over time as she gained experience.

A Love Affair with the Mountain is inspired by poems written by Buddhist Master Hsian-wan of the Song Dynasty.

There is a hut in the mountain of ten-thousand pine trees.
It is shared by an old monk and some clouds.
At the Hour of Zi, clouds take off to cast mountain rain.
Now they envy the old monk for leading a leisurely life.

The piles of dark, static ink in the upper part of the picture, as well as the dynamic, free-flowing dots
and lines in the lower half, embody the various contrasting elements in the poem, such as stillness and tranquility, keenness and content, and obsession and acceptance.

Lee Chung-chung started working in modern ink and wash in the 1970s. She wanted to explore the medium's potential and escape from the technical restrictions she felt existed in traditional ink and wash. She carried on the baton of the modern ink and wash movement of the 1960s which encouraged new techniques and learning from the West. She wanted to push aside the conventions and limitations traditional Chinese ink painting placed on form, techniques and materials, and focus instead on experimenting and innovating in terms of style and artistic vocabulary. After joining the Chinese Ink and Wash Painting Society, Lee was exposed to the new style of American Abstract Expressionism. She drew much inspiration from this style.

Artists frequently experiment with media as a way of transforming the look of their work. Early on in her career Lee did much trialling with rubbing and dyeing techniques. She later turned to experimenting with traditional painting brush and ink principles, developing a style that used layered brush work and fluid calligraphic lines. Lee's later works were characterised by their fluid yet contained energy. Lee's works are concise yet rhythmical. She demonstrates mastery of brush and ink. At the same time her works show the same ethereal quality, artistic conception and ambience of traditional painting.