Originally known as Feng Ya-heng, from Yanshou, Sichuan Province. Adept in Chinese painting and plate drawing, his theory of "a hand for tradition and a hand for real life" made him the representative of the Chang’an School of Painting. However, at a later stage, his style had a major change and he was eager to promote the marriage of literature with painting. His aim was to integrate poetry, calligraphy, painting and seal-carving into a new form of art, thereby becoming instrumental in the promotion of creative Chinese painting. He was a committee member of the Chinese Literary Union and a General Director of the Federation of Chinese Artists. In 1979 he organized a personal exhibition in the Chinese Art Gallery of Beijing, winning widespread praise.