Liu Shiming was born in 1926 in Tianjin. A senior member of Chinese Artists Association, and Chinese Sculptors Society, Liu Shiming has been granted a special allowance for his artistic merits by the State Council.

In 1946, he enrolled in the Peking School of Art, now called Central Academy of Fine Arts. He was among the first batch of sculpture majors recruited by master painter Xu Beihong, then head of the school. Studying under the guidance of veteran artists such as Wang Linyi and Hua Tianyou, Liu Shiming graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from the school in 1950.In 1951, he spent a year in the Central Academy of Fine Arts for a post-graduate programme at the Department of Sculpture and upon his graduation he got a job as a lecturer at the academy.

Starting from 1955, Liu Shiming first worked at China National Sculpture Factory, then at the Department of the Arts of the Kaifeng Teachers College in Central China’s Henan Province, then at the Arts Centre for the Masses in Baoding, North China’s Hebei Province, then at the National Museum of Chinese History, and finally at the Department of Sculpture of the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

In 1950, the work Measuring the Land, was created during his early years as a student, became the first sculpture work that was exhibited abroad after the founding of New China in 1949 and the work was eventually included in the collection of the National Museum of the former Republic of Czechslovakia.In 1952, he participated in the artistic project of the Monument to the People’s Heroes. In 1959, his sculpture Moving the Mountains and Diverting the River was exhibited in former Soviet Union on behalf of the People’s Republic of China. In 1997, Liu Shiming’s pottery work Boats in the Yellow River was displayed at an Itinerant Exhibition of Chinese Ceramic and Pottery Works both in Chinese and European cities and was finally collected by the Ministry of Culture.

His works were selected at the Seventh、Eighth、Ninth Nationwide Art Exhibitions. In 2005 he was interviewed by “PEOPLE” programme on CCTV-10. In 2006 “Liu Shiming’s Solo Exhibition of Sculpture” was held at the China National Museum of Fine Arts. In 2006 he was interviewed by “Oriental Children” programme on CCTV-1.

Art Chronology

1926 I was born in an average company clerk’s family. My father, an excellent mechanical engineer working for the railway sector, spent three years starting from 1927 as an intern/worker for the Ford Motors Automobile Industrial School while studying as a mechanical major at the University of Detroit. My mother only received primary education. The kind-hearted woman of Old China brought up seven children, including four boys and three girls.

1931 My father came back to China and began working for the state-owned Tangshan Railway Mechanical Repair Factory and the whole family moved from Tianjin to Tangshan and lived in the dormitory of the factory.

1932 I enrolled in the Rotary Primary School of the Tangshan Railway Company.

1935 My father was transferred to the Tianjin Railway Bureau and the whole family had to move from Tangshan to Tianjin where I continued his schooling at the Tianjin Minli No. 1 Primary School.

1937 The invading Japanese army staged the July 7th Incident and soon occupied Tianjin. I continued my schooling at the private Muzhai Primary School.

1940 I enrolled at the private Buohai Middle School in Tianjin and began learning seal carving skills under the guidance of veteran artist Wang Kuizhang.

1943 I completed my senior middle school education. Unwilling to work for the Tianjin Railway Bureau which was taken over by the Japanese, My father left Tianjin for Tangshan Kailuan Coal Mine where he dealt with mechanical and electrical repair work. My family moved from Tianjin to Beijing for safety reasons.

1944 I stopped my study due to difficulty situations in my family. With the help of the friends, I became a member of the Xuelu Painters Society, which was founded jointly by veteran artists Ji Guanzhi, Zhong Zhifu, and Yan Shaoxiang, and began studying the northern China styles of the Chinese landscape painting under the guidance of Ji Guanzhi.

1945 I developed a keen interest in music. I frequented the flea market near the archway of Dongdan in eastern part of Beijing and collected many of my favorite records from vendors. Similar to my choice of books, I liked music that had something to do with Buddhism, such as the exciting piece of Celestial Dragon Plays With Water.

With mother and elder brother in 1926	A graduation group photo in June 1950 at Central Academy of Fine Arts

1946 I entered the Peking School of Art, now called Central Academy of Fine Arts, as one of the first batch of 　　sculpture majors recruited by master painter Xu Beihong, then the head of the art school. I learned under the guidance of professors Li Zongjin, Wang Linyi and Hua Tianyou in sketching, sculpture, and pottery art. Liu Shiming was also influenced by such well-known figures in modern Chinese history as Li Keran, Wang Chaowen, Ai Qing, Ye Qianyu, Jiang Zhaohe, Wang Bingzhao, Zeng Zhuyun, Feng Fasi, and Song Bo.

1949 In April that year, the Peking School of Art was renamed as Central Academy of Fine Arts. That autumn, I went to suburban Beijing with all other students and teachers of the academy for the Land Reform movement and got a closer look at the social change by befriending the peasants. Finding that the peasants were greatly encouraged by the reforms and deeply touched by the exciting scenes of land reallocation, I created my graduation work Measuring the Land soon after he came back to the academy.

1950 Measuring the Land won the top award at the academy’s Red May Art Exhibition. A photo of the sculpture was published on the Issue One, Volume One of the People’s Pictorial in 1950. Recommended by academy head Xu Beihong, Measuring the Land was shown in Prague for the Art Exhibition of the World Youths Conference and was later collected by the National Museum of former Republic of Czechslovakia.
In July, upon my graduation, I was advised by Xu Beihong to stay at the academy and work as a lecturer and during this time I created Korean Women which was made public by the Issue Six of the People’s Fine Arts and won accolades from Xu Beihong.

1951 I spent a year for a post-graduate programme at the Department of Sculpture of the academy. The same year, I created Chinese Volunteer Army Captured Wounded American Soldiers and the sculpture was displayed in the Xinhua Book Store in Wangfujing Street. I created another work Heroic Volunteer Soldiers which was then erected in the central flower terrace at the crossroads of the Wangfujing Street.

1952 I worked at the Studio for the Monument to People’s Heroes and helped Wang Bingzhao for his clay sculpture Taiping Heavenly Kingdom—Jintian Uprising. In the same period, I created Going Out of Hospital to mark good ties between China and former Soviet Union and the work was later collected by the National Art Museum of China.

1954 I was transferred to Central Academy of Fine Arts and worked as an aide to Zeng Zhuyun and later worked at Jingdezhen Ceramics Factory as an intern.

1955 I worked at the China National Sculpture Factory and took part in the creation of two pas-relief works featuring Chinese volunteer soldiers. Later, I created works depicting ancient scientists Monk Yi Xing and Zu Chongzhi for the National Museum of Chinese History.  

In 1954, with other members working for the Monument of People’s Heroes Project	In 1960, at the main entrance to the China               Sculpture Studio

1956 I came to Wuhan and created along with Wu Shiwei Underwater Work group sculpture and later created a large scale work featuring Chinese volunteer soldiers who saved Korean children from the fire. The same year, I became a member of the Chinese Artists Association with the help of renowned sculptor Fu Tianchou.

1958 The Great Leap Forward began. I created Moving the Mountain and Diverting the River and the work was enlarged and put in the Zhongshan Park as a gift for the party’s birthday. Later, it was published on the People’s Daily. The image of the sculpture was later used by Madame Snow as the cover of her book about China’s Great Leap Forward.

1959 I created another Moving the Mountains and Diverting the River and it was exhibited in Moscow. The same year, I took charge of the group sculpture Officer and Soldier Are Equal, placed on the square in front of the China National Museum of Military History. I also created the major sculpture at the Beijing Workers Stadium.

1960 I sculpture Moving the Mountains　and Diverting the River was introduced to Baoding Railway Station and later in Baoding Dongfeng Park. That summer, I created Militia at Jiyuan,Henan Province Crossing the River. The same year, I was awarded for his hard work by the Beijing municipal government.

1961 In June, I began teaching at Zhengzhou School of Art, Henan Province. In September, I moved to teach at the Art Department of the Kaifeng Teachers College.

1962 I created the sculpture Li Zicheng for Henan Provincial Museum.

1963 I taught sketching skills at the Kaifeng School of Art.

1964 I worked for the Henan Provincial Museum’s “Rural Four Clearance Exhibition” Group Sculpture Creation.

In front of the Henan Provincial Museum in 1970 upon his departure from the province	In 1971, at the Dongfeng Park with colleagues in                front of the sculpture Movving the Mountains and                  Diverging the River

1965 I continued working for the museum and went back to Tianjin due to the passing away of his mother. I was in low spirits. That autumn, I visited cemetery of Li Xiannian and Peng Xuefeng in Shiguan Hills.

1966 The Cultural Revolution began. I was working on Workers, Farmers, Merchants, Students and Soldiers and Jiao Yulu.

1969 I came back to Kaifeng Teachers College to accept re-education for intellectuals. That spring, I was sent away to a labor farm in Minquan County and that period of hard life left an indelible mark in my memory. Later, I drew heavily from his experience of being re-educated for intellectuals as an intellectual.

1970 In Spring of I took some time off in Beijing and later was invited to replicate Tax Collectors for a park in Baoding, Hebei Province.

1971 I was officially accepted by the Baoding Culture Centre for the Masses for my work Tax Collectors.

1972 I worked at the National Museum of Chinese History for the Beijing Man Cave design work and later made my work Slaves Uprising and replications of Persian Pottery figures.

1974 I came back to Baoding working at the Culture Centre for the Masses. I applied for a sick leave.

1975 I came back to Beijing doing cultural relics repair for the National Museum of Chinese History. The working experience has had great influence up my later career.

In the 1980s, in front of the Sculpture Research Centre of the Central Academy of Fine Arts	In 1982 with his works

1978 My father died in Tianjin.

1980 I came back to the Sculpture Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. My artistic career entered another climax at this time..

1981 The hard material studio and electrical pottery studio were set up at the academy. During this time, I spent most of my spare time in this studio. Many of my well-known works were made to reflect folk life in Henan and urban scenes in Beijing.

1982 The joint art show of Qian Shaowu, Liu Xiaochen, Wang Peng and Liu Shiming was staged at the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

1984 Fish Hawk on the Yellow River  entered the Sixth Nationwide Art Exhibition. The same year, my  Towards the Sun was selected for the “National Sculpture Design Plan Exhibition” and won an award.

1985 I created his stone sculpture “Archer” for Beijing Shijingshan Sculpture Park.

1988 Yellow River Taking Off and Silk Road & Camels were included in “Gansu Urban Sculpture Planning Exhibition.”

1989 Ansi Waist Drum Dance was displayed for the Seventh Nationwide Art Exhibition.

With his newly created work Red Sister at the        electric kiln of Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1985	In 1998, with colleagues and friends at the Liu                Shiming Exhibition at the Corridor Gallery

1992 Eternal Love, the Continuity of Life to mark the 50th anniversary of the issuing of late Chinese leader Mao Zedong’s speech on arts and literature in Yan’an and the art work was shown at the China National Museum of Fine Art.

1993 Boatman on the Yellow River was shown at the Eighth Nationwide Art Exhibition.

1994 I became a member of the first batch of the Chinese Sculptors Society.

1995 I completed my service at the Central Academy of Fine Arts and spent most of my time for artistic creation at home. The same year, I was awarded “National Urban Sculpture Design” certificate and grant a special allowance by the State Council for his artistic achievements.

1997 Boats on the Yellow River was shown at the National Itinerant Exhibition of Chinese Ceramic and Pottery Art in China and Europe and was finally collected by the Ministry of Culture.

1998 A “Liu Shiming Art Show” was held at the “Corridor Gallery” of the Central Academy of Fine Arts and a catalogue of the art show was also published.

1999 Mother was exhibited at the Ninth Nationwide Art Exhibition. The same year, my works Ansi Waist Drum Dance  Moving the Mountain and Diverting the River and Woman Riding on a Tiger were put in the collection of the National Museum of Chinese History.

1999 I was interviewed by the “Oriental Children” programme on CCTV-1

2000 I won from the Beijing municipal government a badge for his 50 years of positive contribution to arts and literature.

2000 Fish Hawk on the Yellow River   was included in the book Chinese Art Today.

2001 I was included in a book Contemporary Chinese Art Celebrities, published by the Writers Publishing House.

2002 I and my art were introduced in a collection edition of a book entitled Experts Achievements of the Republic, jointly compiled by People’s Pictorial and China Pictorial and also included in the book “Art China: Chinese Artistic Documents,” compiled by Artistic Talents Centre under the Ministry of Culture.

2002 I received honorary certificates and badges for his presence at the “China Beijing International Urban Sculpture Exhibition,” “Half Century Beijing Sculpture Art Documentary Show,” and a “Talents of the Century” title from Ministry of Culture.

2005 In October, along with an academic seminar, “Local Sculpture Art – Solo Show of Liu Shiming” was held at the Sculpture Research Institute of the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

In 2006, with Fan Di’an	Working in the studio in 2006

2005 I was interviewed by “People” programme on CCTV-10

2006 In October, “Liu Shiming Solo Exhibition of Sculpture” was held at the China National Museum of Fine Arts.

2006 In October, I  was interviewed by “Oriental Children” programme on CCTV-1.