Yan Meihua

• Yan Meihua (顏梅華), also known by the pen name Xue'an (雪庵), was born in Yueqing, Zhejiang Province (now part of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province). Coming from a scholarly family, he developed a love for reading from an early age. In the mid-1940s, he studied under the tutelage of Chen Guangyi (陳光鎰), where he began to create lianhuanhua (連環畫), a form of Chinese picture-story or illustrated books similar to comic books. Yan was particularly skilled in depicting martial arts, swordsmen, and classical themes, often painting them in his own unique style. He became widely recognized as one of the "Young Four Heavenly Kings" of the lianhuanhua world, a group of emerging talents in the field during that time. His works continue to be celebrated for their dynamic compositions and rich cultural themes.