Living in Chengdu

Xichuan Art School was established at Liu Lichang outside of Nanmen. It was about four miles from Chengdu so we had to take a “cock vehicle” when we wanted to go shopping there. The “cock vehicle” was a rickshaw developed from Zhuge Liang’s wooden walking horses. Liu Lichang was originally a kiln area for producing glazed bricks and tiles. Later a local warlord as an art lover enclosed a piece of land and established a senior level art school to teach painting, sculpture, craft and music. The director, Zhao Wanbi was a traditional Chinese painter without a systematic training from school. Other professional teachers, like my old classmates Liang Qiamin, Hong Yiran, Cheng Shangjun and Jiang Qiaosheng all devoted themselves to teaching without expecting a decent salary. Despite the massive number of students, the school buildings were nothing but a group of cottages, serving as both classrooms and living quarters. To improve the institution, including the quality of teaching, Wu Zangshi and I built three cottages near the music classroom to live and emulate Yan Ying and Pan Yue in ancient China. But I couldn’t bear the loneliness, so I took another part time art-teaching position at Mochi School, and then also served part-time as an art teacher in the private Fucheng Middle School.