1. Wu Changshuo (1844.8.1-1927.11.29), originally named Jun, also known as Junqing, with the courtesy name Changshuo, and also signed Cangshi and Cangshi, with many nicknames, the most common one is Cangshuo. , Lao Cang, Lao Fou, Ku Tie, Da Deaf, Fou Taoist, Master Shi, etc. A native of Zhangwu Village, Xiaofeng County, Zhejiang Province (now Anji County, Huzhou City). During the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, he was a famous Chinese painter, calligrapher, and seal engraver. He was a representative of the "Houhai School" and the first president of the Xiling Seal Society in Hangzhou. Together with Ren Bonian, Pu Hua, and Xu Gu, he was known as the "Four Masters of the Shanghai School in the Late Qing Dynasty."
2. Ren Yi (1840-1896), also known as Ren Bonian, was a famous painter in the late Qing Dynasty. His first name was Run, with the courtesy name Ciyuan, and his nickname was Xiaolou. Later he was renamed Yi, with the courtesy name Bonian, and other nicknames such as Shan0shangxingzhe, Shou Taoist, etc. He was born in Hangwu Mountain, Shanyin, Zhejiang (now Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou City). Ren Bonian is an outstanding painter in modern my country. Among the "Four Rens", he has the most outstanding achievements. He is the leader of the "Shanghai School" and one of the "Four Heroes of the Shanghai School".
3. Pu Hua (1832-1911), whose original name was Cheng, also named Zuoying, also named Zhuoying, Zhuyun, and Zhuying, was named Xushan Yeshi, a Taoist who planted bamboos, and was a native of Jiaxing. Together with Ren Yi, Wu Changshuo and Xu Gu, he was a pioneer of the Maritime Painting School in the late Qing Dynasty. My father's family made a living selling dumplings in Jiaxing City, and his family was poor. He was taught reading by his maternal grandfather when he was young, and he was able to write in a few years. Later, he studied under Lin Xueyan and learned the art of Eight-legged Tie Kuo. In the third year of Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty (1853), he became a scholar. Because his family was poor and had no money, he continued to study in order to gain fame, so he indulged in art and did not seek to advance in officialdom. During the annual examination, I tried to write two articles for one question, but I couldn't bear to repair regular script, so I exchanged my manuscript for it and had someone else copy it for me.
4. Xu Gu (1823-1896) was born in Xin'an (now Shexian County), Anhui Province. His common surname was Zhu and his given name was Huairen. He once served as a general in the Qing Dynasty. He became a monk because he did not want to be ordered to attack the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. "He was moved by his thoughts and went to the mountain with his baggage." However, he did not follow a vegetarian diet and did not worship the Buddha. He only entertained himself with calligraphy and painting. Later in Shanghai, he secretly helped the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. After becoming a monk, Xu Gu traveled around the world with his pen and inkstone, traveling to the three provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui, especially in Shanghai, Suzhou, and Yangzhou, where he made a living selling paintings. As his poem goes: "Writing in my spare time Published three thousand paintings and begged for food."