Liu Hui

Liu Hui, also known as Xue Xi, is currently a researcher at the Bird-and-Flower Painting Institute of the China National Academy of Painting, a specially appointed professor at Tsinghua University Academy of Art, a member of the Art Committee of the Shandong Academy of Arts, a member of the Shandong Province Art Senior Professional Title Review Committee, and a member of the Youth Creation Committee of the China Artists Association. She is a national first-class artist and president of the Jinan Bird-and-Flower Painting Society.
      Born into a scholarly family with deep cultural roots and enlightened by renowned masters, Liu Hui was born in Jinan into a family renowned for its literary heritage. Her grandfather was a celebrated intellectual of the Republic of China era and one of the foremost literary talents of Qilu culture. The Liu family has long been famed for its mastery of calligraphy and painting, with many generations producing distinguished poets, writers, and artists. Liu Hui began studying calligraphy at age eight, spending three years practicing the style of Ouyang Xun and four years copying Liu Gongquan’s script. She found joy in painting and calligraphy, cultivating her own originality, and laid a solid foundation in literature and calligraphy. At age twelve, she became a disciple of the renowned bird-and-flower master Yu Xining. Under Master Yu’s guidance and influence, she deeply understood his principle that elevating artistic conception begins with enhancing cultural cultivation. She extensively absorbed nourishment from traditional Chinese arts—including poetry, prose, calligraphy, and painting—drawing widely from diverse sources, broadening her horizons, and establishing a firm internal and external foundation for her future bird-and-flower painting creations.
      Later, she entered the Central Academy of Fine Arts, specializing in expressive (xieyi) bird-and-flower painting while also studying meticulous (gongbi) techniques, and studied under renowned masters such as Huang Yongyu and Liang Shunian. During this period, she joined the Beijing Bird-and-Flower Painting Research Society, founded by Zhang Lichen, Wang Peidong, and Cui Zifan, systematically studying the styles of great masters such as Zhu Da, Shi Tao, Yun Shouping, Zhang Daqian, and Qi Baishi. Drawing upon the strengths of these masters, integrating them seamlessly, and continuously innovating, she ascended to the summits previously reached by her predecessors.