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Wu Changshuo (1844-1927), with the courtesy name Junqing and later changed to Changshuo, was born in Anji, Zhejiang Province. He was also known as Cangshi, Kutie, and Fulu. Born into a scholarly family, his grandfather and father were both juren. As an adult, he passed the imperial examination as a scholar, worked as a private tutor, and served as a staff member. At the age of 55, he resigned from his official position after only one month. On November 29, 1927, he died of a stroke at his residence in Shanghai at the age of 84. Influenced by his family, Wu Changshuo first learned calligraphy and seal carving. He only began painting at the age of over 30 and later met many famous calligraphers and painters at that time, such as Yang Xian, Pu Hua, Ren Yi, etc., all of whom were his teachers and friends. His solid foundation in calligraphy and seal carving has helped him improve his painting skills, earning him the title of leader of the Later Shanghai School. Wu Changshuo's works have a literary style, with traditional flower and bird painting themes such as plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, narcissus, and longevity peach being the themes he depicts. He is the founder of the Wu School of Seal Engraving, and also the pioneer of integrating the use of calligraphy brushes, seal cutting knives, and layout into freehand flower and bird paintings. Wu Changshuo focuses on the study of stone and drum inscriptions, fully applying his experience in epigraphy and calligraphy to his painting creations. The sophisticated seal script technique brings a powerful tension to his paintings. His works are full of passionate and unrestrained spirit, making people enjoy watching them like drinking a strong drink and enjoying themselves thoroughly. The ten years from the age of sixty to seventy were the innovative period of Wu Changshuo's painting. Many celebrities have apprenticed under Wu Changshuo, such as Wang Yiting, Wang Mengbai, Mei Lanfang, and so on. During this period, Wu Changshuo was already a unique professional painter in the art world. After the age of seventy, Wu Changshuo's painting entered its peak period. During this period, he truly integrated poetry, calligraphy, painting, and printing, reaching a state of perfection. My first impression of Wu Changshuo's paintings was that they were intense, and each painting seemed to be completed in one go without much thought. His colors are decisive, mature, bright, and mellow, complementing his ink stick style. He blends calligraphy and ink into painting, transforming the elegance of literati painting into a unique and enduring one. However, I don't really appreciate his straight up and straight down brushstrokes with parallel branch shapes, so some of the pictures are cropped versions. I personally prefer the bamboo and grass leaves painted by Wu Changshuo. I feel that some of the flower heads are not as beautiful as bamboo and grass. Wu Changshuo was one of the Four Heroes of the Shanghai School, a prominent figure in the domestic painting industry at that time, and also a teacher of Qi Baishi. Although their master and apprentice never met in their lifetime, Qi Baishi's apprenticeship post moved Wu Changshuo and allowed him to be promoted by Wu. This was definitely a crucial step for Qi Baishi to become famous in the art world after that. Although Qi Baishi, who came from behind, was once criticized by Wu Changshuo for "learning from me to become a famous person", Qi Baishi still maintained the due respect for Teacher Wu and did not retaliate, only carving a "fur" seal to self deprecate and resolve. Achievement, this thing is often encountered but not sought after. Wu Changshuo, who only started learning painting at the age of thirty, is actually known as one of the "Four Heroes of the Shanghai School" along with his predecessors such as Ren Bonian. It can be said that when Wu Changshuo achieved remarkable success in the domestic art world, Qi Baishi was just an unknown painting enthusiast. When Qi Baishi, who was in his sixties and had successfully undergone a transformation, was sought after by the international art world, the domestic art world naturally could not accept the speed of an unknown young person's leap. But no one can stop "achievements" from falling on someone's head, as long as