Li Yaochen

     Li Yaochen (Mo Shi), master of Chaoyang Tower, currently serves as Deputy Director of Laizhou City Cultural Center, Council Member of Yantai Artists Association, Shandong Youth Calligraphy and Painting Academy Senior Calligrapher and Painter, Senior Painter of Shandong Painting Academy, Member of Shandong Calligraphy Association, Researcher at China Han Art Research Institute, Member of the New Artistic Community Painting and Calligraphy Committee of China Calligraphers and Painters Association, Academic Advisor of the Chinese Celebrities Cultural Research Association, and Art Expert of the Chinese Couplet Association Calligraphy Art Research Society. He has successively studied painting and calligraphy under masters Shu Juan, Cui Hui, and Wang Kuo Hai, achieving remarkable results.

       He pioneered the bamboo-leaf stone painting technique, delving into life to portray it, discovering artistic material from everyday experiences. By capturing the unique characteristics of Laizhou’s bamboo-leaf stones—found nowhere else in China—and applying modern ink-spattering and color-spattering techniques, he has preliminarily developed his own artistic symbols closely resembling Han-style painting forms. His use of these elements to embellish compositions is innovative and unprecedented, earning full recognition from Wang Kuo Hai, Director of the China New Han Art Research Institute, Council Member of the China Artists Association, and Chairman of the China National Organs Artists Association.

       In 1986, his ink painting “Seafood and Wine Offered to Heroes” was selected for the “Soul of Laoshan” Military-wide Painting and Calligraphy Exhibition.
       In 1995, he inscribed the title “Military-Civilian Dual-Use Talents” for the PLA Daily.
       In 1999, his ink painting “Autumn Rhythm” was selected for the Shandong Province Art Exhibition Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Founding of the PRC.
       In 2000, his calligraphy couplet won the Gold Medal at the National Painting and Calligraphy Competition.
       In 2002, he was officially awarded the title “Artist of Virtue and Artistry” by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles.
       From 2006 to 2007, five large freehand-style bird-and-flower works were included in publications by Hebei Fine Arts Publishing House: “The Chinese Peony Painting Archive,” “Lotus Painting Manual,” “Bamboo and Sparrow Album,” and “Newly Compiled Bird-and-Flower Painting Series,” distributed nationwide.
       In 2011, his works “Ink Painting: Bamboo and Singing Sparrows” and “Modern Pictographic Banner Script” were included in “Collection of Masterpieces in Contemporary Bamboo Painting,” published by China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Publishing House, and “Masterpieces of World Artists,” published by the World Artists Association, respectively.
       In September 2016, his work “Guerrilla Warfare” was selected for the “Exhibition of Outstanding Folk Artworks Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Long March of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army.”
       In August 2017, his work “Riches and Good Fortune” won the Excellence Award at the 3rd “Huanbohai Charm — Invitation Exhibition of Chinese Painting from Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, and Liaoning,” and was exhibited in a five-province tour.
       In December 2017, his work “Riches: Peony” was selected for the 10th Collection of Outstanding Contemporary Bird-and-Flower Painters.

       In recent years, he has developed a profound interest in exploring modern pictographic banner script, deeply influenced by his master Wang Kuo Hai’s concept of “Han Art Soul.” He integrates painting into calligraphy and calligraphy into painting, advancing both disciplines harmoniously, achieving a refined synthesis and realizing a perfect fusion of science and art. Examples include his banner script characters “Dragon,” “Crane,” “Dance,” “Dao,” “Universal Love,” and “Ghost Hand.”

       Master Wang Kuo Hai’s Comment: Among the great masters of Chinese bird-and-flower painting, the foremost is Eight Greats Shanren, a figure straddling the realms of demon and genius, whose brilliant achievements have been immortalized through the ages. Following him came Wu Changshuo, Qi Baishi, and others, each revealing unique artistic styles to posterity. Qi Baishi’s paintings are accomplished with a single brushstroke—clear and brisk; Wu Changshuo’s employ repeated strokes—thick and weighty. Thus, among masters, differences lie only in style, not in superiority or inferiority! My disciple Yaochen has absorbed the styles of both schools while cultivating his own emotional depth. His brushwork is exquisite, his ink sublime—truly commendable!