On June 15, 2011 (May 14, 2011 in the lunar calendar), Cui Zifan, a master of China flower-and-bird painting art, passed away. Photo: Cui Zifan At 1:48 a.m. on June 15, 2011, Cui Zifan, a master of China flower and bird painting, died at his home in Laixi City, Shandong Province. He was 96 years old. Cui Zifan was born in 1915 in Laiyang County, Shandong Province (now Laixi City, Shandong Province). The scientific name is Cui Shangzhi, and he changed his name to Cui Zifan when he was in middle school. In the summer of 1935, Cui Zifan was introduced by his classmates to meet Mr. Zhang Zilian, who was teaching art at a rural normal school in Yanzhou. Zhang is a bird and bird painter of the small freehand painting school. He once learned painting from Wu Changshuo, a great maritime master in the early Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, and graduated from Shanghai Fine Arts College. From Zhang Zilian, Cui Zifan experienced the charm of China flower-and-bird painting for the first time. Born in Laixi City, Shandong Province, Cui Zifan went to Liulichang in the autumn of 1951. It happened that the painter Liu Jintao and Qi Baishi were very close, so he took the initiative to introduce him. In this way, Cui Zifan had the honor to visit the 87-year-old Mr. Qi at No. 15 Kuacha Hutong in Xicheng. Master Baishi's teachings were invaluable to Cui Zifan throughout his life. In 1935, he learned painting from Zhang Zilian. Joined the revolution in 1937. From 1940 to 1945, he went to Yan 'an Anti-Japanese Military and Political University and Yan' an Senior Party School to study. From 1945 to 1950, he served as deputy commissioner and commissioner of the Nanhai Commission of Jiaodong District, Shandong Province. He has served successively as Commissioner of the Nanhai Commission of East Jiaodong District, Shandong Province, Political Commissar of Beijing Hospital, Director of the Survey and Survey Bureau of the Ministry of Urban Development of the State Council, and Vice President of Beijing China Painting Academy (now Beijing Painting Academy). He is currently a member of China Artists Association and president of Beijing China Flower and Bird Painting Research Association. Old man Cui Zifan once wrote such a poem vividly praising his hometown Laixi: "My hometown was called Peach Blossom Township in ancient times, and there are beautiful scenery on both sides of the Gu River. The people are upright and upright and are not afraid of severe cold and wind and frost." Another limerick wrote: "Half a lifetime of martial arts and half a lifetime of literature, I love living in my hometown and loving farmers. When the sea will turn into mulberry fields, it remains to be decided later." In the early 1980s, just as Cui Lao's works were admired by many calligraphy and painting enthusiasts, he returned to his hometown of Laixi to live in seclusion and lived in my home, where I took care of his daily life. He talked to me seriously: "Benhua, I came to my hometown mainly to do some creative work. During this period, I will not participate in social gatherings, accept interviews, or do publicity. My works are not allowed to be auctioned. In terms of life, I will learn from my teacher Qi Baishi, old man, just rough food and rice, and don't affect your work." From then on, Cui Lao began a life of spring and winter. I also followed his request and never asked about his paintings. Cui Lao is a tolerant and easy-going person. He lives a simple life and gets along very harmoniously with our family. In the first ten years, he went to the park for a bird walk in the morning, and went to the lotus pond to write and sketch in the summer. Sometimes he would visit the door to meet visitors, and create some creations when he was quiet. Many classic works were also produced in his studio at that time. In 1999, the Cui Zifan Art Museum in Laixi was completed and opened. Cui Lao asked me to serve as the director of the art museum, which made me feel responsible for playing a role in Cui Lao's art. I want to take out his works to hold exchange exhibitions with other famous art museums, publish a collection of paintings for him, help the "Oriental Time and Space" column team mobilize Cui Lao to conduct an exclusive interview, and some collectors contact me to bring Cui Lao's works to auction... Cui Lao stopped these many ideas. I couldn't figure it out at first: "Someone said you had hibernated!" Cui Lao said earnestly: "Benhua, if a painter wants to impress the hearts of others, he must create newer and better works." "Yes, you have so many good works. How will others know if you don't take them out for exhibition?" Cui Lao said: "The wine is not afraid of deep alleys. I just want to do more creation in my lifetime. I don't want anything else." In 2004, he wrote: "I have returned to my hometown for 20 years, and I have paid close attention to creation without taking time. Today, I still hate that I have no high skills, and I still need to learn from Zhu Qizhan." Cui Lao said that he wanted to learn from Mr. Zhu Lao's spirit of never being too old to learn. In recent years, Cui Lao has become older and cannot move around. He has not returned to Beijing for two years. He lives at home and does three things immobile every day: "Read the news to know the world's affairs, admire flowers and raise birds to inspire creative inspiration, and read to enrich knowledge and wisdom. "In his spare time, he sat in the small courtyard, looking at the three-pronged shadow of the magnolia tree in the sun in early spring, the pairs of Pulsatilla chinensis attracted when cherries bear fruit, the sharp buds pulled out of bamboo, and the blooming water lilies in the small pool in summer, the bumper harvest of corn and sorghum in the autumn fields, and the few plum blossoms blooming in the snow in the corner of the courtyard... The vibrant magnolia in his" Early Spring and February ", and the magpies in the plum blossoms in" Northern Country and Early Spring ". Works full of life such as the leisurely fish in "Fish Le Le In the spring season, the staff of the art museum and I accompanied him to Laixi Lake for a green outing. We saw sand gulls rushing against the wind and waves on the lake. The images of "not spring light is better than spring light" and "vast rivers and sky with thousands of miles of frost" were created under his pen. When he saw that CCTV was preparing to broadcast it to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of New China, he immediately wrote a poem: "Every year spring passes and spring comes again, the flowers fall and bloom again. Peace is prosperous and spring is long, and reform and opening up are happy." Cui Lao painted scenery all year round, but he paid more attention to not "spring is gone" but "spring is coming", not "flowers are falling" but "flowers are blooming", not "sunset is setting in the west" but "rising sun is rising."