Twelve Tigers

Zhang Shanzi, also known by his given name Zhenglan or Ze and courtesy name Shanzi, was born in Neijiang, Sichuan province. He was Zhang Daqian’s elder brother, and in his teenage years, he mainly learned painting from his mother. In his early years, he went eastward to Japan and became a member of the “Tongmenghui”, i.e. the “Chinese United League”. He returned to China in 1907. He established the “Dafengtang School of Painting” (dafengtanghuapai) with Zhang Daqian and founded, together with Huang Binhong, Ma Qizhou, Yu Jianhua, and four others, the Lanman Society. He excelled at painting landscapes, flowers, and beasts, and was especially famous for his tiger paintings.