Chen Zizhuang was born into a farming family in Yongchuan, Sichuan Province in 1913. He moved to Chengdu when he was 16 and befriended his mentor, the great artist Huang Binhong. Chen Zizhuang suffered terribly during the cultural revolution in 1966, being beaten and imprisoned. In 1968 his youngest son died, leaving Chen Zizhuang inconsolable with grief. Despite his grief and ill health, the period from the late sixties until his death in 1976 saw him produce his finest work, spurred on by the fine work of his greatest student Li Huasheng. The quality of work did not lead to fame and riches, Chen Zizhuang died in poverty three months before the death of Chairman Mao.