Wu Changshuo

Wu Changshi (September 12, 1844 – November 29, 1927, also romanised as Wu Changshuo), born Wu Junqing, was a prominent painter, calligrapher and seal artist of the late Qing Period.

One of Wu's works Peonies and Daffodils

Wu Changshuo
Traditional Chinese	吳昌碩
Simplified Chinese	吴昌硕
Hanyu Pinyin	Wú Chāngshí

Wu was born into a scholarly family in Huzhou, Zhejiang. In his twenties, Wu moved to Jiangsu Province and settled down in Suzhou. Prior to the collapse of the Great Qing, he served as an imperial official in Liaoning.

Initially, he devoted himself to poetry and calligraphy with a strong interest in early scripts. He also led the Xiling Seal Art Society, an academic organisation for Hangzhou-based seal artists. Only later did he consider himself a painter associated with the "Shanghai School." As a painter, he was noted for helping to rejuvenate the art of painting flowers and birds. He considered carving seals and doing paintings to be integrated to each other.

His work garnered him fame and was highly regarded in Japan.