Ch'i Pai-shih (1863-1957) was one of the greatest Chinese painters of modern times. He led the revival of the traditional Chinese style of painting.

Ch'i Pai-shih, also called Ch'i Heng and Ch'i Wei-ch'ing, was born on a small farm near Hsiang-t'an, Hunan Province. His family was very poor, and the young boy was unable to obtain normal schooling. When Ch'i was 6 or 7, his grandfather, writing with fire tongs in the ashes of the stove, began teaching the boy characters. Aware of his desire to study, his mother carefully saved their meager resources and when he was 9 managed to send him to the village school run by her father. In less than a year, however, Ch'i was needed on the farm and had to leave school.

In order to continue his studies, Ch'i would hang a book from the horns of the water buffalo he tended and read in...