The artist Pao Jung has published more than a dozen albums of her paintings representing different stages of her career as a painter and the process of her stylistic evolution. The following comments are excerpted from the prefaces written for these albums and are selected to give the reader a better understanding of this outstanding painter and calligrapher.
    Writing about Pao’s family background, Li Chung-kuei describes her as “a talented artist who was born to a family of refinement and culture in Southern China but who grew up in the bosom of beautiful Taiwan.” Pao Jung’s ancestral home is in Haining, Chekiang Province. At an early age, she came to Taiwan with her father, General Pao Chen-hsia. His father wrote beautiful calligraphy, especially grass script, which is often compared to the famous works of Yu You-jen. Pao Jung started writing calligraphy under the tutelage of her own father. No wonder she was a constant winner in calligraphy contests while still a young student.

Mutual Affection 你儂我儂, Ink and color on paper, 60× 90 cm, 1998

    In another preface, Li Ching-ping says: “A well-endowed and brilliant artist, Pao Jung is a humble person whose upbringing explains her success.” These words reflect how people view Pao Jung. (Li Ching-ping was involved in cultural affairs and the promotion of Taiwan-US art exchanges when he was in the diplomatic service. He was one of the promoters of the

Fortune and Peace 如意吉祥, Ink and color on paper, 480× 180 cm, 2008

exhibition of National Palace Museum pieces in the US and now serves as the Deputy Secretary-General of the Straits Exchange Foundation.)
    It is quite common practice for painters to talk about their mentors. In Li Ching-ping’s preface, he describes Pao Jung’s artistic lineage. She first learned calligraphy from her father, and then attended classes under the National Award for Art and Literature recipient, Tu Cheng-hao. Later, she learned painting from Tao Shou-po,....