Master Han Meilin： A Hard Journey of Art Achieves a Beautiful Life.

　　He presided over the design of the emblem and mascot "Fuwa" of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and people affectionately called him "the father of Fuwa".

　　He was awarded the title of "Artist of Peace" by UNESCO, "Coubertin Award" by the International Olympic Committee, "Cultural Medal of the President of Korea" and "Honorary Academician" by the University of Venice.

　　He has four personal art galleries in Hangzhou, Beijing, Yinchuan and Yixing, and his works involve painting, calligraphy, sculpture, ceramics, design and many other aspects, and all thousands of works have been donated to the country for future generations to study.

　　His achievements in painting, calligraphy, sculpture, ceramics and other artistic fields have attracted worldwide attention. He is called "China’s Picasso" because of his wide cross-border, profound artistic attainments, distinctive personality and great social influence, but he claims to be "the successor of grandma in northern Shaanxi".

　　He is Mr. Han Meilin, a UNESCO peace artist, a senior professor of liberal arts in Tsinghua University and a professor at Tsinghua University Academy of Fine Arts.

Han Meilin

　　Born in Jinan, Shandong, China in 1936. In 1955, he was admitted to the Central Academy of Fine Arts (in 1956, he became the first student of the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts with the adjustment of departments). He is currently a senior professor of liberal arts in Tsinghua University, a librarian in central research institute of culture and history, honorary director of ceramic art committee of China Artists Association, vice president of World Chinese Association and honorary president of China Arts and Crafts Association.

　　In recent years, "Han Meilin Art Museum" has been established in Hangzhou, Beijing and Yinchuan, and "Han Meilin Zisha Art Museum" has been established in Yixing, actively promoting social aesthetic education and international cultural exchanges. Establish "Han Meilin Art Foundation" and devote yourself to artistic public welfare and social charity. In 2015, he was awarded the title of "Peace Artist" by UNESCO. 2016 "The World of Merrill Lynch • Han Meilin’s Global Tour was launched, and he held solo exhibitions in Venice, Beijing, Paris, Liechtenstein, Seoul and Bangkok, and was awarded the title of "Honorary Academician" by the University of Venice. In 2018, he won the "Coubertin" Medal and the "Korean Cultural Medal" of the International Olympic Committee. In 2019, he won the "Lifetime Achievement Award for Influencing the World Chinese Award".

　　Why did suffering make his life beautiful? Why is his life’s creation not the same? Where did his confidence come from? Why should artists learn to think independently about the world? Why do artists have to have great love?

　　On March 22nd, at 7: 00 pm, Mr. Han Meilin, a UNESCO peace artist, a senior professor of liberal arts in Tsinghua University and a professor of Tsinghua University Academy of Fine Arts, gave a special performance "Taking Heaven as a Painting", which took you into the wonderful art world of this master!

　　In the winter of 1936, Han Meilin was born in a family of four in Huangjinxiang, Jinan. His parents loved each other and lived with his grandmother who had been widowed for many years. Three generations lived happily in three tile houses in the alley. But the good times didn’t last long. My father died of tuberculosis two years later, leaving Han Meilin’s mother, two widows and three brothers who were not yet adults. At that time, the youngest brother was only born for more than a month. Two young widowed women resolutely shouldered the burden of life, helped each other to raise three children and never remarried. But even in such a difficult situation, two women in bad karma still attach importance to education and insist on sending their children to school.

　　When Han Meilin was five years old, his mother sent him to a private school to practice calligraphy. Mr. Wang found Han Meilin’s square and tough personality and thought that he was the most suitable for Yan Zhenqing, a famous minister in the Tang Dynasty. Since then, he has laid the foundation for Han Meilin’s calligraphy all his life. At the same time, he began to show his talent for painting. He painted on the wall of his neighbor’s house with lime, and was beaten by his mother for destroying the newly painted wall. A little longer, Han Meilin entered Jinan Authentic Relief Society Primary School for the Poor. The school was founded by famous gentry and wealthy businessmen who worked in Jinan. It not only exempted tuition fees, but also invited Li Yuanqing, Zhao Yuanren, Chen Shuliang, Qin Hongyun and other famous artists to offer sports, music, art and other stylistic courses for students. The school is not far from home. It is a rare beauty for Han Meilin to grab a handful of tea dregs poured out of the teahouse for breakfast on the way to school on foot. Compared with the lack of material life, the school’s aesthetic education has given Han Meilin the best enlightenment in his artistic life. He loves painting more, and his teachers affectionately call him a "little painter".

　　In 1948, Jinan ushered in liberation, and Han Meilin, who had just entered junior high school, decided to drop out of school to work to reduce the burden on his family. Shortly after the liberation of Jinan, the government planned to build a memorial tower for revolutionary martyrs on Sili Mountain in the south of the city. With the help of the Civil Affairs Department, Han Meilin, who was only 13 years old, became the correspondent of commander Wan Chunpu in the preparatory office. At that time, the relief group of the Tower Building Committee gathered a group of well-known domestic artists. Han Meilin, who was fascinated by painting since childhood, followed these artists for advice. Later, he was simply sent to the relief group by Commander Wan as a correspondent. He followed Wang Zhaoshan, Liu Su and Mud to make sculptures. In order to understand the human body structure, he made human skeleton specimens together with Xue Junlian. In the example of the artists, Han Meilin’s artistic level was rapidly improved.

Mr. Han Meilin, who just joined the army in the Tower Building Committee.

　　After the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea started, Han Meilin transferred to Jinan Repertory Theatre as an actor, and also volunteered to work part-time in the propaganda work of the troupe. Soon, the Repertory Theatre was dissolved, and Han Meilin was assigned by the Bureau of Culture and Education to serve as an art teacher in Nanchenggen Primary School in Jinan. At that time, Han Meilin was less than 15 years old, but he used his painting strength to subdue students about his own age, and also attracted primary school art teachers in the whole region to observe the teaching. At the beginning of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, new China was in ruins, and there was even a blank in primary school art education in China. Shandong People’s Publishing House came here to compile his lesson plans into two textbooks, Basic Knowledge of Painting and Reference Album of Primary School Painting Teaching. Han Meilin got 400 yuan for this. In that era when 10 cents could buy four eggs, this fee was a huge sum. Han Meilin used this money to buy gifts for his family and a bicycle for going out on weekends.

Mr. Han Meilin’s youth

　　Han Meilin’s passion for fine arts touched Li Shuhua, a Chinese teacher at the same school. He introduced Han Meilin to his cousin Le Wei, who was studying at Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts. With the encouragement of Le Wei, Han Meilin decided to apply for the middle school attached to Central Academy of Fine Arts. Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers. Han Meilin went to Beijing with enthusiasm to catch the exam. He was unexpectedly received by Mr. Pang Xunqin, the director of the Department of Arts and Crafts of the Academy of Fine Arts and a master figure in the art world. Mr. Pang saw the talent of this young man from Han Meilin’s daily works and suggested that he directly apply for the university. In Mr. Pang’s expectant eyes, Han Meilin was heated and took on this seemingly impossible task. Han Meilin, who had only been in junior high school for three months, finished the senior high school course in 21 days with a strong momentum. Even his eyes were temporarily blind because of overuse. He finally got the eighth place in the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Under the guidance of Bole, this wild-growing swift horse finally embarked on the professional road of art. In college, although Han Meilin majored in design, his paintings were recognized by many people.

Mr. Han Meilin is the first class teacher in the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts (third from the left in the front row).

　　In 1960, after graduating from Han Meilin University, he wanted to respond to the college’s call to go to Yunnan ethnic minority areas when filling out his assignment, but he was left as a teaching assistant in the Decoration Department of the Academy of Fine Arts because of his excellent performance. After teaching, Han Meilin created many excellent works and became a rising star in Ran Ran at that time.

　　In 1963, Han Meilin was transferred to Anhui to organize the Academy of Fine Arts, and was involved in the catastrophe of the times. He was unjustly imprisoned, and his body and mind were greatly devastated. But even in prison, he tried his best to draw. Without a pen and paper, he painted rice soup on his pants. When the rice soup dried, his white pants became "drawing paper", and he painted on it with branches, which became his light in the dark.

　　In 1972, Han Meilin was released from prison and was assigned to work in Huainan Ceramic Factory. The factory assigned him a crude dormitory of 6 square meters. Because there was a buttonwood tree outside the house, Han Meilin felt the vitality of the trees and named his hut Tongzhai. In the next six years, he lived in Tongzhai to create.

After he was released from prison, Mr. Han Meilin weighed only 36 kilograms.

　　After he was released from prison, although his living conditions improved, he still couldn’t afford the high cost of ink painting. In order to make ink painting paper show the ink smudge effect similar to expensive rice paper, Han Meilin combined traditional ink painting with modern watercolor painting and created a new technique of brush painting — — Brush a layer of water on the hard paper first, and when the paper is half dry, quickly draw a pen to make the ink pigment "smudge" along the water potential. This kind of creation is not achieved overnight. Too much water brushing will make the ink flow away with the water, and it is impossible to maintain the shape. Too little water brush will make the drawing paper dry too fast, which will affect the blooming effect. After thousands of adjustment attempts, Han Meilin finally found the balance point between water and paper, and even created a new ink and wash color matching method.

Mr. Han Meilin’s painting "Friends in Need"

　　"Love" is the eternal theme of Han Meilin’s art. He said: "Artists should love the world, our society, our children, animals, plants and everything with love." Although he suffered a lot, Han Meilin never showed his suffering in his works of art, from Erhei, a close friend of poodle in times of trouble, to a monkey, a fox and a squirrel … … The animal shapes in Han Meilin’s brush painting are smart, and the fuzzy effect of ink and wash combined with blooming adds a cuteness.

　　In 1978, Han Meilin was finally rehabilitated, transferred to Anhui Artists Association to engage in professional art creation, and later served as vice president of Anhui Painting Academy. The spring breeze of reform and opening-up blew away the gloom that had shrouded Han Meilin for many years, and his artistic life ushered in spring.

　　In 1979, Han Meilin held his first solo art exhibition in China Art Museum, and published the first collection of animal paintings "Still on Earth" in the following year. In the same year, Han Meilin was invited to be the first China painter to hold a solo exhibition in the United States after the reform and opening up, starting from new york, he toured 21 cities including Boston, and became famous at home and abroad.

　　In college, both the teachings of Chai Fei, Pang Xunqin and Zheng Ke and the friendship with Shen Congwen, who works in the Palace Museum, made Han Meilin deeply realize the profoundness of China arts and crafts. At that time, he was determined to follow the will of gentlemen, base himself on tradition and folk, and draw inspiration from land and history.

In 2003, the "Han Meilin Art Caravan" was held in Kaili, Guizhou.

　　Han Meilin was inspired by an Indian film "Caravan", in which a group of actors sat in a caravan, and his heart yearned for the action of collecting wind wherever they went. Since 1977, Han Meilin led his own art caravan members to "drive" on the land of China, with the purpose of "helping the poor through culture and collecting wind through art", and went to the fields to learn various folk art techniques, and at the same time helped local difficult manufacturers to revive with his own creations. His interests seem to have no boundaries, from exquisite Henan Jun porcelain and Yixing purple sand to simple straw weaving and wall hanging. "Weaving, dyeing, engraving, carving, painting, writing, cloth, wood, stone, grass and metal, all contact, learning and teaching", he has gained endless artistic inspiration from the people, and his own creative path is also.

In September 2018, "Han Meilin Art Caravan" was in Nantong.

　　Han Meilin always believes that image is the key to artistic creation. With image in mind, all kinds of materials can be used by him. He swims freely among ink, ceramics and bronze. When the times endow him with a new mission, he can devote himself to new creation at any time, so can painting and design.

　　In 1980, China Post began to issue the first series of stamps on the zodiac, and the fourth set of special stamps on the zodiac in the year of pig in Guihai, which was issued in 1983, was designed by Han Meilin. The green leaves of hearts painted on pigs are very eye-catching, which not only has the traditional paper-cut and shadow play style, but also means a happy life with hearts, full of folk joy and festive atmosphere. This simple and exaggerated style of folk art has attracted worldwide attention.

In 1983, Mr. Han Meilin designed the special zodiac stamp for the Year of the Pig.

　　Since then, Han Meilin has integrated his understanding of traditional Chinese zodiac culture into vivid animal images, not only taking charge of the design of special stamps and commemorative medals of Chinese zodiac for many times, but also gradually formed the Han Meilin zodiac art with both national charm and modern aesthetics, leading China traditional culture to go abroad again.

　　The Zodiac in Han Meilin’s Works

　　In 1989, Han Meilin Studio of China Artists Association was formally established, which is the first and only studio named after artists by China Artists Association. As a pilot project of market economy reform in the art field, Han Meilin led his team to create giant sculptures in 58 cities, such as Long Whistling in the Wind, Dashun Farming, Five Clouds and Nine Rus, Qian Jianglong, Qianwang Shooting the Tide, Huafeng Yingxiang, Hundreds of Birds Facing the Phoenix and Danfeng Chaoyang, etc., with more than 1,500 studio members at most. Han Meilin marks the rise of modern cities after China’s reform and opening up with a unique way of artists’ sculpture works.

Shenzhen Shekou Sculpture "The Golden Bull"

　　In 1996, the Atlanta Olympic Games was held in the United States, which coincided with the centenary of the modern Olympic Games. Han Meilin was invited to participate in the design competition of Olympic symbolic sculptures. It took him less than a month to complete the artistic conception and integrate the two Chinese elements, Tenglong and Huabiao, into the urban sculpture. Finally, the Five Dragon Bell Tower he designed stood out from the design schemes of 17 countries and was successfully selected.

The sculpture "Five Dragon Bell Tower" designed by Mr. Han Meilin for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

　　Han Meilin’s fate with the Olympic Games naturally continued in the process of China’s bid for hosting the Olympic Games. He successively presided over the design of the emblem, Olympic logo and mascot for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, making indelible contributions to the smooth hosting of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

　　In 2000, after continuous creation and revision, we finally had the "Chinese knot" with simple and smooth lines and rich meanings that we see today.

Mr. Han Meilin designed the logo of Beijing Olympic bid.

　　The success of the Olympic bid is only the beginning, and greater challenges will follow. In 2005, the revision team composed of top experts such as Han Meilin began to revise the design scheme of mascots collected from all over the world, but the individual images such as rattle, panda and loong that entered the "final circle" could not perfectly show the theme of the 5,000-year Chinese civilization and the modern Beijing Olympic Games. When the design came to a deadlock, Han Meilin boldly proposed to design the mascot with a combined image instead of a single image. The new creative thinking found the key to the design of the mascot, and the embryonic form of "Fuwa" was born. After more than two months, Han Meilin closed the studio to further revise and improve the design scheme of "Fuwa", and was once taken to the hospital for a heart attack caused by sleepless nights.

Mr. Han Meilin and Fuwa "Huanhuan"

　　In 2018, the International Olympic Committee awarded Han Meilin the "Coubertin Medal" in recognition of his outstanding contribution to promoting the Olympic spirit. It can be said that he is still active in the front line of artistic creation in his octogenarian years, which is a true portrayal of the Olympic spirit.

　　Since ancient times, China’s calligraphy and painting have paid attention to "the same origin of calligraphy and painting", while Han Meilin became famous for his paintings, but he has long been attached to calligraphy. When I was a child, my family was poor, and I found ancient books such as Four-body Thousand-character Writing, Six-book Classification, Shuowen Gushua, etc. When I didn’t understand their meaning, I was able to regard them as picture books and appreciate the beauty of words and images. In the travel activities, Han Meilin picked up the lost ancient Chinese characters from the ancient rock paintings of Helan Mountain, and from the fragments of ceramics, bronzes, tortoise shells and stone carvings scattered all over the country. He called these ancient Chinese characters, whose pronunciation and interpretation can’t be tested, "deaf-mute beauty", and recorded them almost instinctively in his own conception book. After decades of accumulation, they have reached tens of thousands. Once in Hong Kong, Mr. Qi Gong came across the ancient Chinese characters written by Han Meilin in his notebook, and suggested that he create them artistically, as if to wake up the dreamer in a word, and Han Meilin was determined to create a "heavenly book".

Mr Han Meilin is writing a gobbledygook.

　　In 2007, Han Meilin spent 34 years collecting and writing the ancient Chinese character catalogue "Tianshu", which finally came out. He did not research the origin and interpretation of the characters, but pursued the visual beauty of the characters themselves, and performed it with modern aesthetics on the premise of retaining the structure and font of the characters. Huang Miaozi, a master of calligraphy and painting, wrote a poem for it, "Cangjie makes words and ghosts cry at night, and Merrill Lynch’s Tianshu is a god’s costume". "Tianshu" is also a book and a painting. After the first book was published, Han Meilin continued to collect, sort out and re-create, giving more modern life to ancient Chinese characters. He said that if his body permits, he would like to write the translated words, which is a gift that Han Meilin really wants to leave to the nation.

Gobbledygook size: 370*120cm Year: 2015

　　Like most artists, Han Meilin has made great efforts in his creation, but he doesn’t care much about business affairs. In 2001, Han Meilin was admitted to the hospital for bypass surgery due to heart problems. When his life was dying, there were thousands of works left in the studio and he didn’t know what to do with them. After his recovery, Han Meilin, who didn’t want to get close to business, decided to donate his works to the country for future generations to study. Under the direction of his wife, Zhou Jianping, Han Meilin Art Museum was built in Beijing and Hangzhou at both ends of the Grand Canal. Subsequently, Yinchuan Pavilion was completed and opened in 2015. Han Meilin became the first China contemporary artist with three art galleries (Beijing, Hangzhou and Yinchuan). Its scale, category and quantity are vast, and it is known as "Dunhuang for one person". Han Meilin has a mantra: "I am making progress every day!" The growth of age can’t stop him from pursuing art. Under the impetus of continuous creation, Han Meilin Zisha Art Museum was established in Yixing, the birthplace of Zisha Pot, in 2019. At present, the expansion projects of Beijing, Hangzhou and Yinchuan have also been carried out in an orderly manner.

Han Meilin Art Museum in Hangzhou, Beijing and Yinchuan

　　Over the years, Han Meilin has supported charity by donating money and works. In 2013, the Han Meilin Art Foundation was formally established, which enabled it to carry out art-related public welfare undertakings more systematically, regularly and continuously, promote cultural education and cultural inheritance by setting up scholarships, and donated funds to build Merrill Hope Primary School and Merrill Lynch classrooms in many places to promote the popularization of basic education and aesthetic education.

Donation ceremony of "Fuwa Nini Hope Primary School"

　　In 2015, Han Meilin was awarded the title of "Peace Artist" by UNESCO, becoming the first person in China art circle to win this honor. Since then, Han Meilin has more actively participated in the cause of promoting cultural exchanges and cultural inheritance in various countries and regions, and in 2016, launched the "Merrill Lynch’s World Han Meilin Global Tour Exhibition", with the purpose of "paying tribute to the Renaissance, returning to the roots of the nation, and performing cultural duties", and carrying forward the "peaceful" and "pluralistic" cultural world outlook with art, and promoting the great ideal of "truth, goodness and beauty" in human society.

Irina bokova, then Director-General of UNESCO, awarded Mr. Han Meilin the certificate of "peace artist".

　　Today, Han Meilin, who is 87 years old, still insists on writing and drawing every day, and maintains strong artistic creativity. Together with the art foundation he founded, he continues to promote the inheritance of national culture and international cultural exchanges. He calls himself a "time poor", so he should make up for the lost time in turbulent times with more diligent creation.

　　Han Meilin’s life is so rich that it is difficult for us to define him in one word. He has made outstanding contributions in painting, calligraphy, sculpture, ceramics and other fields. Even his life itself has been carved into a masterpiece of art in the pursuit of goodness and beauty for decades. Such a master is a wonderful blessing from God to the world and to China.