BIRD, BAMBOO, AND ROCK

Jiang Hanting (1903-1963) was from Changshu in Jiangsu province, and his original name was Di. When he was sixteen years old, he learned to paint birds and flowers from Tao Songxi and soon afterward started selling paintings for a living. After the People's Republic was established, he became a painter in the China Art Academy. Premier Zhou Enlai invited him to make a large painting of plum blossoms for the Great Hall of the People in 1960.