Sheng Shan Hsu was born in Sing-Ying in southern Taiwan in 1943. As a child, he loved sports, music, and creative hobbies: pottery, embroidery, cooking, flower arranging, and painting. But his interests would continue to widen He became a clock and watch repairman at his brother's shop and later attended the Watchmakers of Switzerland Technical Seminar where he was certified as a technician.  He served as president of the Clock and Watch Union in Taiwan for six years. Also, he became an actor, singer, fashion model and a Hibachi chef. Still, he sought a better life for his wife and children and emigrated with them in 1985 to the United States.

While working here as a chef, he had a bad fall and suffered a severe spinal injury which confined him to bed for many years. His wife worked without complaint as a waitress to support the family.  During those darkest moments, he searched for ways to end their hardship. He equates his seclusion to the cocooning of a caterpillar: a necessary period of isolation leading to something beautiful. One day, as he took his therapeutic walk through a park, he saw a group of children being taught handicrafts. This reminded him of skills his own sister had taught him when he was approximately five years old. It rekindled his passion for handwork, and becoming something of a Renaissance man, he began perfecting the art of wire-sculpting. He decided to create sculptures of animals made of pure gold and/or pure white gold and/or platinum or silver wire and precious gems. He began studying animal pictures in libraries and studied animals and birds in woods and fields to capture the animation for his art. He began analyzing ways of overcoming technical problems in his effort to create perfection in each of his art. He wanted the butterfly of his art to emerge. One of the unique aspects of his creation is that some items are made from a single, long strand of 24K gold or sterling silver wire with no cut-off at any point. The precision required to achieve this involves a working knowledge of architecture, fine motor skill, a great deal of patience, and,most of all, sheer artistry. Each of his works of art is unique. Some pieces are exquisitely made with hair or silk. Such details are visible only under a magnifying glass. His artistic mind and abundant imagination and ingenuity make every one of his works breathtakingly beautiful, richly animated masterpieces.

At times, the old injury to his back bothers him to the extent that his son, Ming Wei, who has worked with him, completes the task.