Bada Shanren

Born Zhu Da in Nanchang, China, in 1626, Bada Shanren was a painter, calligrapher, and poet who lived through the dramatic Ming-Qing transition. His early life was steeped in art; his grandfather and father were accomplished artists, and Bada himself received a classical education, even passing the first-level civil service examination in the early 1640s. However, the fall of the Ming dynasty to the Qing in 1644, and the subsequent execution of his imperial relatives, profou…