Outstanding Heroes, Each Leading Their Field (Part 1)
Section 1: Literary Giants and Shining Stars. The First Hunanese Poet of the Tang Dynasty — Li Qunyu. Li Qunyu (c. 813–860), a Tang Dynasty poet and native of Lizhou (present-day Li County, Hunan), was the only Hunanese poet whose works were included in the Complete Tang Poems. Li Qunyu gained poetic fame in his early years; he loved playing the sheng and excelled at cursive calligraphy. His poems often celebrated the scenery and historic sites of central Hunan, including the seven-character regulated verse "Huangling..."
This article has been compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · City Overview section). Some administrative divisions, population, socioeconomic data, and policy information may be outdated and are for reference only; for the latest situation, please refer to official releases by the local government and scenic areas.
Section One
Literary Giants and a Galaxy of Stars
The first Hunanese poet of the Tang Dynasty — Li Qunyu
Li Qunyu (c. 813-860) was a Tang Dynasty poet from Lizhou (present-day Li County, Hunan). He was the only poet from Hunan to have works included in the "Complete Tang Poems." Li Qunyu was famous for his poetry from an early age; he loved playing the sheng and was skilled at cursive calligraphy. His poems mostly celebrated the scenery and famous sites of central Hunan. His seven-character regulated verse "Huangling Temple" is the most renowned, and his five-character ancient poem "Clear Night at Xiangxi Temple" is a picturesque work and also a fine piece. Other lines, such as "Just passing through the winding, rugged road, / And further hearing the clamorous cackling sounds" from the seven-character regulated verse "Hearing Partridges at Jiuzi Slope," and "Jade scales silently fly in the slanting moon, / Pure and lovely, gracefully facing the setting sun" from the seven-character ancient poem "Written While Ill on the Day of the Plum Blossom Festival," are still widely recited today. His poetic style is clear and elegant, with deep and gentle sentiments, possessing a distinctive quality of secluded fragrance and cold beauty. "Tang Zhiyan" called his poems "beautiful and exquisite, with vigorous talent." In the early Qing Dynasty, He Shang's "Zaijiu Yuan Shihua" stated that "Wenshan, though born in the late Tang, was not tainted by the habits of frivolity and obscurity," giving him a relatively high evaluation.
Hunan's first imperial examination graduate — Liu Tui
Liu Tui, courtesy name Fuyu, was a Tang Dynasty literary figure, Hunan's first imperial examination graduate, and a native of Changsha. He passed the imperial examination in the fourth year of the Dazhong era of the Tang Dynasty (850). To reward Liu
Tui, the observation commissioner Cui Xuan sent him 170,000 coins, called "breaking-the-barren-land money." Liu replied in a letter saying, "For fifty years, it was the people who were neglected; a thousand li away, how can it be called a barren land!" Liu eventually rose to the position of Left Remonstrator. In the fourth year of the Xiantong era (863), Liu submitted a memorial accusing the son of Huainan military governor Linghu of "exercising the power of a minister while being a commoner," and was framed as a result. He was later sent out as magistrate of Huayin. He was fond of literature and most famous for his prose. His writing mostly took Yang Xiong as a model, and he took it upon himself to revive ancient styles. His original collection has been lost, and the Ming dynasty compiled "Wenquanzi Collection."
The first prolific poet of Hunan in the Tang Dynasty — Qi Ji
Qi Ji (born c. 860-940), whose secular surname was Hu, given name Desheng, courtesy name Erwei, and who in his later years called himself Hengyue Shamen. He was a native of Yiyang in the Tang Dynasty. His family was poor, and his parents died early. At the age of seven, he tended cattle for the Great Wei Mountain Temple. He was naturally intelligent and often composed little poems on the backs of cattle, which the monks found remarkable and urged him to become a monk. He first lived at Tongqing Temple on Great Wei Mountain, and later resided at Donglin Temple on Mount Heng. He was passionately fond of scenic spots and famous sites, traveling throughout Zhongnan, Huashan, and various places in Jiangnan. He was famous for his poetry at the time, leaving behind a large body of poetic works. His disciples compiled them into the ten-volume "White Lotus Collection," containing 810 pieces; they also compiled the ten-volume "White Lotus Supplementary Collection" and the one-volume poetics treatise "Fengsao Zhige." Qi Ji understood that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand li, so he composed poems as he traveled. When he arrived at Donglin Temple, his traveling bag was filled with the ten volumes of the "White Lotus Collection." At that time, Qi Ji's number of poetic works ranked only after Bai Juyi, Du Fu, Li Bai, and Yuan Zhen, making him the fifth most prolific poet of the Tang Dynasty, and he was hailed as one of the "three great poet-monks of the late Tang."
The founding patriarch of Chinese Neo-Confucianism — Zhou Dunyi
Zhou Dunyi (1017-1073) was a thinker, Neo-Confucian scholar, and philosopher of the Song Dynasty (Northern Song) in China. He was a native of Yingdao County, Daozhou (present-day Daoxian, Hunan). Zhou Dunyi is the founding ancestor of Chinese Neo-Confucianism, and his Neo-Confucian thought played a role in linking the past and opening the way for the future in the history of Chinese philosophy. The Southern Song scholar Hu Hong revered and trusted Dunyi's theoretical learning. Zhu Xi, the great synthesizer of Neo-Confucianism, held him in high esteem, wrote a biographical account for him, and annotated the Taiji Tu Yi Shuo and Yi Tong. Zhang called him the 'Sovereign of Daoxue,' and his reputation gradually rose greatly. Jiujiang, Daozhou, Nan'an, and other places built Lianxi Shrines to commemorate him. Emperor Ningzong bestowed upon Dunyi the posthumous title 'Yuan,' and thus Dunyi was also called 'Yuan Gong.' By the time of Emperor Lizong, he was honored in the Confucian temple, confirming Zhou Dunyi's status as the founding ancestor of Neo-Confucianism.
Founders of the Huxiang School — Hu Anguo and Hu Hong
In 1130 AD, Hu Anguo moved his entire family to Hunan and founded the Biquan Academy in present-day Xiangtan County. Later, he established the Wending Academy at Ziyun Peak in Nanyue, where he taught the classics. His work Chunqiu Zhuan is a representative work of orthodox Neo-Confucianism and was a textbook for the imperial examinations. After Hu Anguo's death in 1138 AD, his son Hu Hong inherited his father's legacy, lived in seclusion without taking office, and devoted himself to writing and transmitting the Way. His doctrine centered on 'mind' and 'nature,' establishing a complete Neo-Confucian system greatly different from orthodox Neo-Confucianism. Thus was formed the Huxiang School — the first academic school in Hunan's history with its own distinctive academic thought and a relatively stable academic community, centered on Hengshan, based in academies, and with the Hu father and son as its founding masters.
Founder of the Chaling Poetry School — Li Dongyang
Li Dongyang (1447-1516) was a poet of the Ming Dynasty and a native of Chaling, Changsha Prefecture. A core figure of the Chaling Poetry School in the late Ming period, he was a poet, calligrapher, and statesman, having served successively as Minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion during the Hongzhi reign. His poetry and prose were elegant and well-balanced, and he opposed the graceful, ornate, mediocre, and rigid 'Taige Style.' With him as its leader, the 'Chaling Poetry School' was formed, leading the poetry circles of the time. His works Huailu Tang Ji and Huailu Tang Shihua have been passed down. His Ni Gu Yuefu Bai Shou used yuefu-style poetry for historical commentary, establishing a distinctive voice, and also opened the way formally for the imitation of ancient poetry by the Former and Latter Seven Masters. The Chaling Poetry School's role in linking the past and opening the way for the future has been valued by people since ancient times.
The Foremost Confucian Scholar of the South — Wang Fuzhi
Wang Fuzhi (1619-1692) was a thinker of the late Ming and early Qing period and a native of Hengyang, Hunan. In his later years, he lived at Shigu Mountain in Hengyang, and scholars called him Mr. Chuanshan. His main contribution was in philosophy, where he summarized and developed traditional Chinese materialism. He was skilled in poetry and prose, and also in ci and qu. His discussions of poetry often contained original insights. His works were compiled by later generations into the Chuanshan Yishu, among which the most important in philosophy are Zhouyi Waizhuan, Shangshu Yinyi, Du Sida Quan Shuo, and Zhangzi Zhengmeng Zhu. Wang Chuanshan's tomb is located at Daluo Mountain, Chuanshan Village, Qulan Town, Hengyang County, and is listed together with the Xiangxi Thatched Cottage as a provincial-level key cultural relic protection unit. On the stone pillars on either side of the tombstone is engraved a couplet by the Qing Dynasty notable Wang Xiangqi: 'A thousand-year house of hereditary ministers and tall trees; the foremost Confucian scholar of the South.'
Founder of the Huxiang Poetry School — Wang Xiangqi
Wang Kaiyun (1833-1916), courtesy name Renfu, also styled Renqiu, pseudonym Xiangqi, was known by scholars as Mr. Xiangqi. His ancestral home was Xiangtan, and he was born in Changsha. Wang Kaiyun studied hard in poverty in his youth and harbored great ambitions. He eventually mastered the classics and histories, encompassing the nine schools and returning to the study of the classics, adhering to the 'Spring and Autumn Gongyang' doctrine, and was hailed as 'a master teacher of a generation.' Wang Kaiyun passed the provincial examination during the Xianfeng reign. In 1859, he was hired as a tutor for the family of Grand Councilor Sushun, and later joined Zeng Guofan's secretariat, but soon resigned and returned to his hometown, living in seclusion without taking office and devoting himself to academic research. He was subsequently hired successively as the chief lecturer of the Zunjing Academy in Chengdu, the Sixian Lecture Hall in Changsha, the head of the Chuanshan Academy in Hengzhou, and the chief instructor of the Jiangxi Grand Academy. In the late Qing Dynasty, he held the office of Hanlin Academy Review with the rank of Expositor-in-Waiting. In the early Republic, he served as director of the National History Bureau and concurrently as a councilor. Wang Kaiyun's poetry and prose were also acclaimed as the finest under heaven, and his disciples were spread throughout the land. His works are extremely rich, including Chunqiu Gongyang He Shi Jian, Gu Jin Wen Shangshu Jian, Xiangjun Zhi, Xiangqi Lou Riji, Xiangqi Lou Shiwen Ji, and dozens of other titles. Wang Kaiyun died in the fifth year of the Republic (1916). President Li Yuanhong personally composed his spirit-way stele inscription, and Hunan, Sichuan, and other provinces all sent public memorial addresses, showing how renowned he was in his day.
Father of Regional Literature — Shen Congwen
Shen Congwen (1902-1988), of Miao ethnicity, was a native of Fenghuang County, Hunan. The collections of his lifetime's creative work number about 80 volumes, making him the most prolific modern writer in terms of published books. Because of his unique creative style, Shen Congwen is hailed in Chinese literary circles as the 'Father of Regional Literature.' In his lifetime, he wrote works and articles totaling 5 million characters. Bian Cheng, Chang He, and Congwen Zizhuan are his representative works. His later monograph Zhongguo Gudai Fushi Yanjiu filled a gap in the history of Chinese costume culture. The gentleman went from Fenghuang to the world literary stage, winning honor for his hometown and his people.
A Titan of Historiography — Zhou Gucheng
Zhou Gucheng (1898-1996), a native of Yiyang, was a titan in Chinese historiographical circles. He organized the Chinese Yanhuang Culture Research Association and served as its first president. He also served as president of the Chinese Poetry Society and was a founder of the Chinese Yanhuang Culture Research Association. The Zhongguo Tongshi published in 1939 was compiled by him in an effort to apply the viewpoint of historical materialism. The Shijie Tongshi published in 1949 broke the old Eurocentric framework of world history. Since the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the CPC, Zhou Gucheng, at the advanced age of 80, took to the podium to teach, training the country's first batch of master's and doctoral students after the Cultural Revolution. He proposed that the development of the Pacific Rim region would be an important area of human civilization development in the 21st century, and presided over the founding of the 'Chinese Pacific History Society,' personally serving as its president, making outstanding contributions to the cause of socialist historiography.
A Pioneer in the Study of Modern Chinese History — Jiang Tingfu
Jiang Tingfu (1895-1965) was a renowned historian, Dean of the School of Arts and Head of the History Department at Tsinghua University during the Republican period, an academician of the Academia Sinica, and a native of Shaoyang, Hunan. In the summer of 1919, he entered the graduate school of Columbia University to specialize in modern history, earning a doctorate in philosophy. After returning to China, he served as a professor in the History Department of Nankai University, teaching courses such as Outline of Western History, Modern European History, and History of the French Revolution, and began research on the history of modern Chinese diplomacy. In 1957, he was elected an academician of the Humanities Division of the Kuomintang's Academia Sinica. He died of illness in New York, USA, in 1965. His works include Zhongguo Jindai Shi, Zhongguo Jindai Shi Dagang, and Jindai Zhongguo Waijiao Shi Ziliao Jiyao. He is hailed as 'a scholar of a generation' and 'a pioneer in the study of modern Chinese history.'
The Foremost Figure in Modern Chinese Philosophy — Jin Yuelin
Jin Yuelin (1895-1984), a native of Changsha, Hunan, was a modern Chinese philosopher and logician. Mr. Jin Yuelin was the first Chinese philosopher to use Western philosophical methods, integrate the spirit of Chinese philosophy, and establish his own philosophical system, and was the first to systematically introduce modern logic to China. He conducted in-depth research on the philosophy of logic and applied the method of logical analysis to philosophical research, achieving remarkable results and providing useful reference for us to study Chinese philosophy and to advance and develop it. Mr. Zhang Shenfu once proposed: 'In Chinese philosophical circles, Mr. Jin Yuelin is the foremost figure.'
An Outstanding Female Representative of Hunan's Advanced Culture — Ding Ling
Ding Ling (1904-1986), originally named Jiang Wei, courtesy name Bingzhi, was a native of Linli, Hunan. She was the most modern-spirited 'true person' and literary master in the history of 20th-century Chinese literature, and the most outstanding representative of advanced culture with the richest modern character. She began publishing fiction in 1927, and drew attention in literary circles with Meng Ke and Miss Sophie's Diary. Works published before 1955 include Kua Dao Xin Shidai Lai, Yan'an Ji, Ou Xing Sanji, Dao Qunzhong Zhong Qu Luo Hu, and Taiyang Zhao Zai Sanggan He Shang. After 1980, she published Ding Ling Jinzuo, Ding Ling Sanwen Ji, Ding Ling Duanpian Xiaoshuo Xuan, Ding Ling Zhongpian Xiaoshuo Xuan, Ding Ling Xiju Ji, and literary theory collections Shenghuo · Chuangzuo · Xiuyang, Shenghuo · Chuangzuo · Shidai Linghun, as well as the sequel to the novel Taiyang Zhao Zai Sanggan He Shang, Zai Yanhan de Rizi Li. Taiyang Zhao Zai Sanggan He Shang is Ding Ling's representative work, first published in 1948. Among Mao Zedong's poems, the only one inscribed to a writer, Linjiang Xian, was written for Ding Ling.
The Hunan Writer Who Won the Stalin Prize for Literature — Zhou Libo
Zhou Libo (1908-1979) was born in Yiyang in 1908. His original name was Zhou Shaoyi, courtesy name Fengxiang, also known as Zhou Fengwu. He was a Chinese
renowned writer and translator of profound influence. Over his lifetime, he authored and published novels, short stories, essays, poetry, translations, and reportage totaling more than 5 million characters. His works are profound in thought and loved by the masses; with a sincere tone he recorded the social progress after the founding of New China, with a distinct sense of the times, making immortal contributions to China's literary and cultural cause. His full-length novel Baofeng Zhouyu and the film he co-wrote the screenplay for Liberated China)) film, successively won the Stalin Prize for Literature, 'Night on the Xiang River' won the first prize for national short stories, and the novel 'Great Changes in a Mountain Village' and20many local short stories created new themes and new styles for local literature, and enjoyed equal fame with the famous writer Zhao Shuli of the same period"Nan Zhou and Bei Zhao"the reputation of.
The First Overseas Female Writer to Report on the Real Conditions of New China — Li Huiying
Li Huiying, whose ancestral home is Hunan, moved to Hong Kong in 1947 and settled in the United States in 1968. For decades, as a writer, journalist, and lecturer, she traveled at her own expense to Europe and the Americas to introduce China, promote friendship between the Chinese and American peoples, and promote the peaceful reunification of the motherland. She is currently president of the American Cross-Strait Exchange Association and the Cross-Strait Relations Seminar, a research fellow at the East Asian Studies Center of the University of Southern California, head of the Los Angeles branch of Hong Kong's Mirror Monthly and Horizon Monthly, the first honorary reporter of Shanghai's Xinmin Evening News, a council member of the Chinese Overseas Friendship Association, and an overseas advisor to China Friendship Publishing Company. She has been selected for inclusion in the World's 5,000 Notable Figures Record, the World's Outstanding Professional Women Record, the 2,000 Notable American Women Record, the International Outstanding Women Leaders Record, the World's Outstanding Writers Name Record, the American Notable Women Record, the World Who's Who, and the Overseas Chinese Who's Who published in Beijing. She is the first overseas female writer to report on the real conditions of New China.
Chinese Contemporary Romance Novelist — Qiong Yao
Qiong Yao (1938-), a native of Hengyang, Hunan. Her original name is Chen Zhe, and she currently lives in Taiwan. She was born amid war and moved with her family to Taiwan in 1949, attending Taipei First Girls' High School. After graduating from high school, she failed to gain admission to university. At age 16, she published the short story Yunying in Taiwan's Chenguang magazine. During high school, she published more than 200 articles. In 1963, her autobiographical novel Chuang Wai was published, making her famous overnight. From 1963 to 2008, she wrote a total of 42 full-length novels, including Xingyun Cao, Yanyu Mengmeng, Jidu Xiyang Hong, Caiyun Fei, Xin You Qianqian Jie, Zai Shui Yi Fang, Yue Menglong, Niao Menglong, Yan'er Zai Linshao, Biyun Tian, and Bing'er. The ideal of love that beautifies life is the main theme of her novels; intricate, novel, and dramatic plot twists are the main means by which her novels captivate readers; and the richly poetic, accessible literary language is an important feature of her novels' unique charm. Therefore, her romance novels have a massive readership. A large number of her works have been adapted into films and TV dramas, and her works are widely sought after.
The Sage of Cursive Script — Huaisu
Huaisu (737-799) became a monk in childhood and was a master of cursive script. His secular surname was Qian, courtesy name Zangzhen, and he was a native of Lingling, Yongzhou, Tang Dynasty (present-day Lingling, Hunan). He is famous for 'wild cursive' and is historically known as the 'Sage of Cursive Script.' He became a monk in childhood and, in his spare time from Buddhist affairs, practiced calligraphy diligently. He once planted more than ten thousand banana trees and used banana leaves as paper, repeatedly writing on them. The brushes he wore out were buried in one place, called the 'Brush Tomb.' In order to see all the calligraphic relics of his predecessors, he visited famous masters everywhere, and cherished every surviving fragment and rare manuscript. Thus his mind became broadened, and he formed his own style. Later he suffered from a wind ailment; when his illness slightly abated, he took up brush and inkstone again, and his style changed. He was by nature unrestrained and bold, fond of drinking, and whenever the wine went to his head and inspiration struck, he would write on temple walls, village walls, clothing, and vessels — there was nothing he would not write on. People of the time called him the 'Drunken Monk.' His brushwork was round and powerful, his turns like rings, unrestrained and flowing, completed in one breath. He was as famous as Zhang Xu, and people called them 'Crazy Zhang and Wild Su.' His art can be said to be classical romanticist art, with an extremely profound influence on later generations. He claimed to have grasped the essence of the Sage of Cursive Script. According to the Xuanhe Shupu, the imperial treasury housed 101 pieces of his calligraphy. Extant calligraphic works include Zi Xu, Ku Sun, Lun Shu, Qianzi Wen, and Lü Tian An Ji. The poet-immortal Li Bai highly praised Huaisu: 'The young monk is called Huaisu; his cursive script is called unmatched under heaven.' Mao Zedong once presented Huaisu's calligraphy copybooks as state gifts to foreign heads of state.
The Foremost Master of Regular Script in the Tang Dynasty — Ouyang Xun
Ouyang Xun (557-641), courtesy name Xinben, was a native of Linxiang, Tanzhou (present-day Changsha) and one of the four great masters of regular script. His calligraphic achievement was greatest in regular script, with forceful and steep brushwork and uniquely structured forms, called by later generations the 'Ou Style.' Its source lies in Han clerical script, with a strong and steep spirit, strict rules and measures, showing perilousness within levelness and elegance within regulation, with strokes interwoven and arranged properly. In regular script, the Jiucheng Gong Liquan Ming and others; in running script, the Meng Dian Tie and Zhang Han Tie and others are most famous. His Huadu Si Yi Chanshi Sheli Ta Ming, Yu Gong Gong Wen Yanbo Bei, and Huangfu Dan Bei are called 'the finest regular script of the Tang.'
The Sage of Characters — Huang Ziyuan
Huang Ziyuan (1837-1918), courtesy name Jingyu, pseudonym Dansou, was a native of Anhua County, a calligrapher and industrialist of the late Qing Dynasty. In childhood, he studied calligraphy under his grandfather Delian, often writing with a suspended wrist to train his arm strength. He first imitated the Yan style, then studied the Liu and Ou styles. Although his calligraphy underwent repeated changes and he could not open his own path, and was not appreciated by the calligraphic world, he broadly adopted the strengths of many masters and also established a distinctive style of his own. When the mother of the Tongzhi Emperor died of illness, Huang Ziyuan was summoned to write the spirit tablet. Kneeling on the ground and writing with a suspended hand, he produced work that was neat and well-proportioned, and he was praised and granted the title 'Sage of Characters.' In his later years, his imitations of the Xuanmi Ta, Liquan Ming, and Zhengqi Ge were carved in wood and printed for sale by Zhou Moxiang, serving as calligraphy textbooks for elementary students of the time and circulating widely.
China's Earliest Female Journalist — Chen Xiefen
Chen Xiefen (1883-1923) was China's earliest female journalist. She was the daughter of Chen Fan, proprietor of the Su Bao newspaper, and used the pen name Chunan Nüzi. She was a native of Hengshan, Hunan. Born in Yanghu, Jiangsu, she was among the first students of the Shanghai Patriotic Girls' School. Chen Xiefen was a pioneer of the Chinese women's liberation movement and modern journalism, and also the first editor-in-chief of a women's publication in modern China. In 1899, she founded Nü Bao in Shanghai, which soon ceased publication. In 1902, she published the monthly Nü Bao, renamed Nü Xue Bao the following year. It ceased publication due to the 'Su Bao case.' She later went to Tokyo, Japan, published Nü Xue Bao, and joined the Chinese female students' group in Japan, the 'Mutual Love Society,' and was elected its president. She later went to the United States.
A World Cultural Celebrity — Qi Baishi
Qi Baishi (1864-1957), originally named Chunzhi, was a native of Xiangtan and a renowned Chinese painter, calligrapher, and seal carver of the 20th century. He served as a professor at the Beijing National Art College, honorary professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, honorary president of the Beijing Painting Academy, and chairman of the Chinese Artists Association. He was awarded the title 'People's Artist of China,' received the World Peace Council's 1955 International Peace Gold Medal, and was unanimously recognized as a 'World Cultural Celebrity' on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth in 1963, among other honors. His transmitted works include Baishi Shicao, Baishi Yincao, Qi Baishi Zuopin Xuanji, and Qi Baishi Zuopin Ji.
The Only Chinese to Win the 'Olympic Art Award' — Huang Yongyu
Huang Yongyu (1924-), a native of Fenghuang. On the morning of August 24, 2008, International Olympic Committee President Rogge and IOC Culture and Olympic Education Commission Chairman He Zhenliang jointly presented the 'Olympic Art Award' to the renowned Chinese artist Huang Yongyu. The 'Olympic Art Award' is assessed by the International Olympic Committee every four years and is a special honor voted on and awarded by IOC members. The awarded artists are all artists from the host country of the current Olympic Games who have made great contributions in the fields of literature, music, architecture, fine arts, and film and television, and who also have major influence. Huang Yongyu is the only artist from the host country of this Olympic Games (China) to receive this honor, and also the only Chinese person in modern Olympic history to receive this award.
A Renowned Chinese Seal Carver, Calligrapher, and Painter — Li Li
Professor Li Li, a famous seal and stone painter, courtesy name Shi'an, art name Liweng, was a native of Zhuzhou, Hunan. He was especially skilled in oracle bone and bronze inscriptions, and his small seal script was also distinctive; his style blended the strengths of knife carving and calligraphy, archaic and majestic, with force penetrating the paper. His flower-and-bird paintings feature bold splashed ink and refined lines, as if carrying the sound of metal and stone. His narcissus, red plum, lotus, and azalea works possess a beauty of solemn serenity within their warmth, ethereal and free from vulgarity. The famous Lingnan School painter Zhao Shao'ang called him 'surpassing the ancients and shining today, comparable to Qi Baishi reborn.' Li Li always took Elder Qi Baishi's exhortation as his motto: 'In the beginning one must learn from the ancients or contemporary worthies, enter deeply into their chambers, and then must establish one's own gate and household, developing one's own school.' He used the knife in place of the brush, diligently cultivating without cease. He successively published 'Wen Tianxiang Zhengqi Ge Seal Album,' 'Li Li Jinshi Calligraphy and Painting Collection,' 'Ten Lectures on Seal Carving Techniques,' and 'Selected Seal Impressions of Mao Zedong's Poems.' His works, together with those of predecessors such as Wang Fu'an and Qi Baishi, were included in 'Thirty-Two Famous Contemporary Chinese Seal Carvers' published in Japan, and his name was recorded in the British references 'Dictionary of World Famous Intellectuals' and 'International Who's Who in Biography,' among others.
The first mainland Chinese painter to hold a global touring solo exhibition — Li Zijian
Li Zijian, oil painter. Born in 1954 in Shaoyang City. From 1971 to 1992, he devoted himself to creating a large body of realist oil paintings themed on 'Humanity and Love,' integrating aesthetic ideals with moral ideals and imbued with humanistic spirit and Chinese cultural characteristics. From 1993 onward, he began holding large-scale touring solo exhibitions in Europe, America, and the Taiwan region. With funds from years of selling paintings, he established a dedicated fund for the 'Global Touring Exhibition.' The renowned American art critic Dennis Wepman pointed out: in history, it may be difficult to find an artist's exhibition that has toured across so many cultures and national borders. By May 2000, the 'Humanity and Love · Li Zijian Oil Painting Global Touring Exhibition' had been shown 26 times in 20 countries and regions, with over 700,000 visitors. His large-scale historical painting '1937 · Nanjing Massacre,' with its powerful expressiveness and rich content, deeply moved countless viewers.
The youngest Chinese artist — Zeng Chuanxing
Zeng Chuanxing, born in 1974 in Neijiang, Sichuan. Member of the China Artists Association, member of the Hunan Contemporary Oil Painting Art Academy, currently teaching in the Fine Arts Department of Hunan Normal University. On October 17, 2006, at Christie's London Post-War and Contemporary Art auction, where Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Western contemporary works were auctioned together, Zeng Chuanxing's 'Paper Bride' entered the top ten, selling for 164,800 pounds, making him the youngest Chinese oil painting artist, and the work served as the cover lot of the auction catalogue. In 2009, a 60-episode large-scale documentary series for the 60th anniversary of National Day — 'Classics and Immortality' — was produced by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the National Art Museum of China, the Fine Arts Research Institute of the Chinese National Academy of Arts, the China Film Association, and CCTV, selecting 60 artists nationwide including deceased masters; Zeng Chuanxing was the youngest oil painting artist. Zeng Chuanxing's 'Paper Bride' series employs realist painting language, inheriting classical art while asserting postmodern aesthetic consciousness; his artistic exploration and innovation offer viewers a strong, unique, and contemporary aesthetic visual experience.
The first contemporary calligrapher to publish a regular script copybook — Wu Tiyu
Wu Tiyu (1929–2009), a native of Xinhua, courtesy name Chaoji, art name Xijiang Qiaozi, also self-styled Yujiang Yiguai, was a master of contemporary regular script. Gifted and intelligent, he began practicing calligraphy at age four and cultivated his brush for over seventy years without cease, successively studying the styles of the Two Wangs, Ouyang, Yan, Liu, Zhao, Chu, and Banqiao, originating from the ancients yet distinct from them. His regular script is precise, rigorous, and steeply forceful, elegant and refined, forming his own style known in the world as 'Wu Style,' regarded as another peak in the thousand-plus-year history of Chinese regular script development since the Tang Dynasty. His work 'Small Regular Script Copybook of the Tao Te Ching' was published by Hunan Literature and Art Publishing House, and 'Wu Tiyu Regular Script Thousand Character Classic' was the first copybook published by Shanghai Classics Publishing House for a contemporary calligrapher. Dozens of his stele inscriptions are found at famous sites such as the thousand-year-old Yuelu Academy. After seeing Wu Tiyu's calligraphy, Mr. Ouyang Zhongshi was deeply admiring and inscribed: 'Having tasted the sweetness and bitterness within, he goes straight to the hall of calligraphic principles!' Mr. Wen Huaisha appreciated it even more: 'Elegant and mellow, steeply forceful and unrestrained.' He also said that seeking these eight qualities in the contemporary world, only Mr. Tiyu could bear them without shame! His son Wu Jiangwan is currently collecting and organizing his works and has signed with Beijing Founder Electronics to jointly launch the 'Founder Wu Style' font library.
The youngest winner of the Honens International Piano Competition in Canada — Zou Xiang
Zou Xiang, born in 1980 in Zhuzhou, is a young pianist residing in America, Doctor of Arts from the Juilliard School, and gold medal winner of the Honens Piano Competition in Canada. He was praised as a 'prodigy' by the famous piano educator Zhou Guangren. When he was one year old, his father used pictures and toys to enrich his imagination. At two, he was taught English to strengthen his comprehension and memory. At three, he was asked to learn children's songs while playing the tambourine. At four, he began learning piano. On March 16, 1986, a reporter from the 'Zhuzhou Daily' reported under the title 'A New Star Rises Here' on Zou Xiang, who had just won first place in the Hunan 'Little Prodigy' Cup Piano Competition. At 23, he was the youngest champion in the history of the Honens International Piano Competition, an important world piano event, and is now a dazzling star on the international music scene.
The only Chinese choreographer to win a MacArthur Foundation Genius Award — Shen Wei
Shen Wei, born in 1968 in Xiangyin County into a family of Xiang opera, began studying traditional Chinese opera at the Hunan Provincial Art School at age 9. After graduation, he became an actor at the Hunan Provincial Xiang Opera Troupe, later studied dance, and became a dancer and choreographer with the Guangdong Modern Dance Company. In 1995, Shen Wei received a scholarship from the Nicholas Dance School in the United States to study abroad. When the world-renowned American MacArthur Foundation announced its 24 genius award recipients for 2007, Shen Wei was the only Chinese and the only arts worker. Besides receiving a $500,000 prize, this award marked Shen Wei's entry into the ranks of 'genius choreographers.' The 'New York Times' once commented: the creations of Chinese-American choreographer Shen Wei are the most noteworthy focus in the dance world. Numerous performance halls that artists yearn for — such as New York's Lincoln Center — take pride in staging dances created by Shen Wei. At the end of 2006, at the invitation of Zhang Yimou, he joined the creative team for the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, serving as a planning and directing member of the opening ceremony director group.
The Poetry Demon — Luo Fu
Luo Fu, once hailed by the poetry world as the 'Poetry Demon.' Born in 1928 in Hengyang, he left his hometown for Taiwan in 1949 and graduated from the English Department of Tamkang University. In 1954, he co-founded the poetry journal 'Epoch Poetry Quarterly' with Zhang Mo and Ya Xian, serving as editor-in-chief for many years, and moved to Canada in 1996. He devoted himself to modern poetry creation, writing and translating poetry for over 40 years, exerting an important influence on the development of modern poetry in Taiwan. He has published 31 poetry collections, 6 prose collections, and 5 collections of poetry criticism. In 1999, Luo Fu's poetry collection 'Magic Song' was selected as one of the classics of Taiwan literature. In 2001, his Chinese-language long poem 'Driftwood' received a Nobel Prize in Literature nomination for the first time. In 2004, he received the first Beijing New Poetry Circle International Poetry Award — the Big Dipper Award.
The first Taiwanese female journalist to visit Moscow — Long Yingtai
Long Yingtai, writer, social critic, thinker. Her ancestral home is Hengshan, and she was born in 1952 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. She graduated from the Foreign Languages Department of Cheng Kung University in 1974, then went to the United States for further study in English and American literature. In 1983, she returned to Taiwan, first serving as associate professor in the Foreign Languages Department of 'Central University,' then as a research fellow at the Graduate Institute of Foreign Literature at Tamkang University. In 1984, she published 'Long Yingtai Reviews Fiction,' which sold out immediately upon release and was reprinted many times; Yu Guangzhong called it a 'tornado.' From 1985 onward, she published a large number of essays and fiction reviews in Taiwan's 'China Times' and other publications, stirring up great controversy and becoming a highly renowned newspaper columnist. 'Wild Fire Collection,' a compilation of her columns, went through 100 printings, sold 200,000 copies, swept Taiwan, and was a book that had enormous impact on Taiwanese society in the 1980s. In the cultural circles of Europe and the three regions across the Taiwan Strait, Long Yingtai's writings have become a rare archive. At the end of 1988, as the first Taiwanese female journalist, she was invited by the Soviet government to visit Moscow.