Zhong Kui (The Demon Queller) On a Donkey

Zhong Kui, the demon queller, is one of the most popular mythological Chinese characters. Because of his ugly appearance, Zhong was unjustly deprived of his rightful honors in one of the civil service examinations, and he committed suicide on the steps of the imperial palace. Nevertheless, when Emperor Minghuang (ruled 712–756)—the same emperor whose actions had caused Zhong’s suicide—was having a nightmare, Zhong appeared and chased the ghosts away. In gratitude, the emperor restored full honor to Zhong and bestowed him the title Demon Queller. Since that time, copies of Zhong’s portrait have been used as talismans throughout China.

A member of the Manchu imperial family, Pu Ru was trained in classical Confucian studies, poetry, painting, and calligraphy. Access to his family’s collection of classical paintings allowed Pu to study closely the works of old masters. In the 1930s, Pu became a preeminent ink painter in Beijing known for traditional landscape and figure paintings. He was often compared to another popular artist Zhang Daqian (1899–1983), and together they were called nan Zhang bei Pu, meaning “Zhang Daqian in the South and Pu Ru in the North.” After 1949, Pu relocated to Taiwan, where he had a successful career teaching Chinese ink painting at Taiwan Normal University.