Born in Shanghai in Qing Dynasty to a prominent family of Shouchun Military General, Gai Qi benefited from his bourgeois education of Chinese arts and literature. As a child prodigy in arts, Gai established his fame in arts from his early age. When the book Dream of the Red Chamber gained in popularity, Gai painted illustrations for the book and his popularity rose. Since then, he explored a new style of painting noblewomen with a gentle streamline brushwork and created a new style called “the Style of Gai”.