Yu Cheng-yao, named Shun, courtesy name Cheng-yao. Born in Yongchun County, Fujian Province in 1898 (24th year of the Qing Dynasty Guangxu reign), Yu learned to make woodenwares and lacquerwares at a woodworking shop in his early years. At age 19, he joined the Revolutionary Army and eventually advanced to the rank of lieutenant-general. He retreated to Taiwan with the Nationalist government in 1949, but was unable to bring his family over in time, and thus lived alone in Taipei ever since. He spent half a lifetime in combat and traveled extensively with the military to lofty mountains and deep forests. He retired as lieutenant-general in his prime years. At the age of 56 in 1954, Yu began working on the first painting in his life. Yu’s paintings and calligraphy were one of a kind. He often liked to draft with light ink, which were left to dry before he added layers of textured contours and washes, creating a free and fluid effect in his ink and brush works. He also made use of minute and concentrated brush strokes to express his unique creative vocabulary as well as the ruggedness and spiritual sense of mountains and waters.

Yu Cheng-yao’s painting and calligraphy works are legendary. Not only are they a conspicuous pinnacle in the art history of Taiwan, they are a giant monument that will stand tall for hundreds of generations in the entire Chinese ink wash heritage. Yu began his artistic attempts after the age of 50; having been able to break from the restraints of tradition, Yu often produced concise and powerful form and spirit in his early ink wash works by utilizing simple ink strokes and unique layouts consisting of large chunks. His ink wash landscapes wer e inspired by recollections of the imposing mountains in northwest and southwest China where he had traveled. With his impressive memory, Yu recreated the astounding and breathtaking magnificence of mountains and waters. The strangeness of his mountains and their meticulously powerful contours create a visual effect of order amidst disarray. Such features are precisely how Yu’s works always display a brimming sense of vigor .