ZHONG CHENG

Born in Henan province, China. Tian-si was his official first name, but later he called himself Fo-ting to show his reverence for Buddhism. Lu started to study painting at the age of five. Flowers and birds were the first subjects that he learned to paint, and these were followed by figures, and then finally landscapes. He was also a good player of traditional Chinese musical instruments, qin, a poet, and a master of calligraphy. He devoted himself to art education, and, as an outstanding teacher and artist, he was awarded the National Award for Arts, the First Grade Cultural Award of the Ministry of Education, and the National Cultural Award of the Executive Yuan. In 2005, at the age of 95, Lu died from heart and respiratory failure, and just before his death, he received the tonsure ceremony and was given a Buddhist name Wan-seng, fulfilling his longtime wish to become a Buddhist monk.