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Lot Essay
Qian Huafo (1884-1964), who was also known as Suhan and Yuzhai, was from Changzhou in Jiangsu province. He studied abroad in Japan when he was young, and when he returned to China in 1910, he established the Bujiu Society on Tianjin Road. Later in Shanghai he started a new drama club and founded a movie company to improve education. At that time, he started to use the name Huafo ("Convert to Buddha") and named his home “The House of Ten Thousand Buddhas”. He liked to draw pictures of Buddha, which were particularly vivid and often inscribed by such noted artists as Yu Youren, Kang Youwei, and Huang Binhong. He held a number of themed exhibitions and was called “the number one master of Buddha paintings”.
Qian Huafo was also an avid collector, including paintings, coins, Yixing teapots, snuff bottles, and matches. In addition, he collected fans and often invited Liu Haisu, who had also grown up in Changzhou, to paint them. In his collecting preferences, Qian favored creativity and was critical of conservatism. After the establishment of People’s Republic of China, Qian worked for the Shanghai Research Institute of Culture and History.
Qian Huafo was also an avid collector, including paintings, coins, Yixing teapots, snuff bottles, and matches. In addition, he collected fans and often invited Liu Haisu, who had also grown up in Changzhou, to paint them. In his collecting preferences, Qian favored creativity and was critical of conservatism. After the establishment of People’s Republic of China, Qian worked for the Shanghai Research Institute of Culture and History.