Wu Meiling

Wu Meiling (1897–2003), originally named Wu Tianmin, was born in Puzi, Chiayi. In 1919, he started working as an art instructor at Puzijiao Elementary School. In 1929, he joined the Chun-Meng Painting Society and was selected three times for the Taiwan Provincial Fine Arts Exhibition. After the war, he continued his career as a high school teacher and received numerous awards for excellence in teaching. He devoted over 80 years to art education.
His artistic style was diverse. In his early years, he primarily used gouache in his paintings, but later transitioned to ink and incorporated watercolors into his works. His paintings were vibrant, rich, and spontaneous, reflecting his enthusiasm and a naturalistic approach. In addition to his artistic pursuits, he also made contributions to traditional crafts such as local lantern festivals and embroidery.
==Life==
Family and Early Life 
Wu Meiling, originally named Wu Tianmin, was born in Puzi, Chiayi, and was a Taiwanese native painter. His ancestors hailed from Kinmen's Lieyu Island, and the family engaged in trade as their primary occupation. Early on, as Han Chinese from Fujian and Guangdong arrived in Taiwan for settlement, Wu's family settled in Tainan. The Wu family was involved in ceramic trade, which continued through Wu Meiling's father, Wu Can. Due to Wu Can's fondness for painting, he and his eldest son, Wu Yan, established a trading business that focused on temple depictions and the colorful painting of buildings' rafters and eaves. During this period, society revolved around temples as centers of local faith and spiritual significance, with related temple festivals and celebratory events like weddings and funerals requiring ornamental displays such as lanterns, ceremonial altars, and art pavilions. Wu Meiling's childhood was spent assisting his family's business, which fueled his interest in painting as a means of earning a living. Memories of assisting in creating festival decorations left a lasting impression, becoming a source of inspiration for his future creative endeavors. Around 1905, at the age of approximately 10, Wu Meiling attended the Chia-Yi Bureau for the Study of Learning, where the focus was on basic education. While attending school, he continued to assist with family endeavors and graduated in 1912. Although Puzi had established a branch of Chia-Yi Elementary School at Puzijiao, he chose to assist his older brother in their lantern-painting business. The nature of the business led him to visit different environments, including Taipei, starting in 1916. He also attended the Japan Expo held in Taipei, which sparked his desire to further his studies in Taipei.
Career as an Art Teacher 
In 1918, Wu Meiling began working as a teacher at Puzijiao Elementary School (now Puzi Elementary School). After a year of training, he became a formal teacher the following year. In 1921, he entered the Taipei Normal School's Teacher Education Department and graduated the next year. He was then assigned to Liu-Jiao Elementary School (now Liu-Jiao Elementary School) as a counselor. In 1925, he transferred to Puzi Girls' Elementary School (now Da-Tong Elementary School), teaching art. He continued in this role until his retirement in 1941. During this period, he collaborated with home economics teacher Shen Huangxiao in creating embroidery designs. This not only honed his own painting skills but also sparked an interest in traditional crafts like embroidery in the Puzi region. After World War II, in 1946, Wu Meiling became an art teacher at Dongshi Junior Agricultural School (now Dongshi High School) and passed the exam for secondary school art teachers in 1949. He continued working until 1964. Starting in 1956, he began to focus on painting plum blossoms, and he adopted the name "Meiling." Over his 18-year teaching career, he received multiple awards, including the Jia-Yi County Outstanding Teacher Award, the Taiwan Provincial Department of Education's Outstanding Teacher Award, and the Excellent Lecturer Award from the Department of Education. In recognition of his teaching contributions, a "Meiling Pavilion" was constructed on campus. Even after retirement, Wu Meiling continued to offer guidance to students in the school's art studio on weekends.
Retirement and Later Years 
In November 1964, Wu Meiling was rehired as an art teacher at Dongshi High School. After his wife's passing in 1969, he resided in school dormitories and invited students to stay with him to spare them the long commute to the art room. During summer and winter vacations, Wu Meiling stayed with his eldest son in Taipei and his second son in Taichung, while the dormitory became a gathering place for art students. In 1973, at the age of 77, Wu Meiling officially retired from Dongshi High School. While Yang Guoxiong succeeded him as head of the art department, Wu Meiling continued to visit on Saturdays and Sundays to offer guidance. To ensure ongoing gatherings for students, Wu Meiling's students established the "Meiling Art Society" in 1979, appointing him as a permanent guiding teacher. They held an annual exhibition called the "Meiling Art Society Exhibition" at Jinzhen Library in Puzi. In 1984, student Huang Mingtang garnered recognition from local residents in Puzi and established the Meiling Art and Cultural Foundation, a non-profit organization, with the aim of initiating the construction of the Meiling Art Museum. Prior to reaching the age of one hundred, Wu Meiling actively participated in exhibitions, reviews, and also engaged fervently in creative pursuits. In 1985, he was honored with the "Art Education" category Golden Medal Award by the Republic of China Painting Association. In 1995, the Meiling Art Museum was officially inaugurated, coinciding with Wu Meiling's centenary birthday. To commemorate this occasion, his students organized the "Wu Meiling Centenary Painting Debut Exhibition". In 2001, a retrospective exhibition titled "Wu Meiling at 106: A Retrospective" was held at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, accompanied by the publication of a dedicated album. In 2002, the Apollo Gallery hosted the "Wu Meiling at 107: An Exhibition".
==Artistic Style==
His early works belonged to the Eastern style of painting, showcasing a more realistic gongbi technique. He focused on landscape sketches, and in 1930, his gouache painting "New Rock Road" was selected for the fourth Taiwan Provincial Fine Arts Exhibition. Starting in 1931, his themes shifted to garden landscapes. Works like "Quiet Autumn" in 1932 and "Autumn" in 1933 were selected for the sixth and seventh exhibitions, respectively. He also displayed a keen ability to capture the expressions and postures of figures, evident in the 1934 work "Corner of the Garden," which is now a featured piece in the Meiling Art Museum. In the 1950s, Wu Meiling began to experiment with ink painting techniques, incorporating watercolors for richness in color. In his later years, he specialized in flowers and landscapes, excelling in creating a vibrant style filled with a profusion of blooms. In his landscape paintings, he boldly used color to create deep and layered compositions. Unrestricted by technique or form, his style was diverse and naturally expressive.
==Achievements in Art Education==
During his tenure at Dongshi High School (1946-1964), Wu Meiling's guidance led his students to achieve remarkable results. He received the Department of Education's Outstanding Teacher Award six times between 1951 and 1957. Notable students who excelled under his tutelage include Chen Zhenfeng, Yang Yuantai, Huang Yongchuan, and Zhang Zhongliang. In 1978, his students established the Meiling Art Society, organizing joint exhibitions between teachers and students annually at Jinzhen Library. Due to the library's limitations as an exhibition space, which required frequent modifications, this eventually prompted the establishment of the Meiling Art Museum in 1984. The museum's funds were initially raised by students through private donations and later donated to Chiayi County Government, supplemented by central government grants. Wu Meiling also impacted the promotion of local folk crafts and cultural industries. During his tenure at Puzi Girls' Elementary School (1926-1941), he collaborated with Shen Huangxiao to promote Puzi's embroidery craft. The lanterns of Puzi Peitian Temple were another folk craft he encountered in his youth. Every year, he led students in creating lanterns for traditional festivals.
==Disciples==
• Huang Zhaofang 
• Yang Yuantai 
• Chen Zhenghong 
• Su Xinyi 
• Zhang Quan 
• Su Xinxiong 
• Lin Xunliang 
• Lin Wanfen
Category:1897 births
Category:People from Chiayi
Category:Art educators