Chow Chung-cheng | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1908-07-20)July 20, 1908 |
| Died | August 31, 1996(1996-08-31) (aged 88) |
| Alma mater | Nankai University Sciences Po |
| Occupation(s) | Artist author |
| Years active | 1936–1996 |
Chow Chung-cheng (Chinese:周仲铮;pinyin:Zhōu Zhòngzhēng; July 20, 1908 inYanping, Fujian – August 31, 1996 inBonn, Germany) was a Chinese artist known for her finger painting and autobiographical books.
Zhou was born the 4th child in a family of two girls and three boys (2 boys died young). Her father, Zhou Xuehui, the youngest son ofZhou Fu, was a successful businessman who ran many of his brotherZhou Xuexi's enterprises.[1] She was born Zhou Lianquan (Chinese 周莲荃 or 周莲全), but later changed her name to Zhongzheng.
Zhou was home schooled initially. When her demand to attend public school like her brothers and male cousins was denied, she seized the opportunity when her grandfatherZhou Fu died in 1921 in Tianjin, to ran away to Beijing. After three months negotiation with her parents openly, she returned home after they agreed that she and her sister were allowed to both attend public school and have the freedom to choose their husbands.[2]
She attended Beiyang Women Normal School (nowHebei Normal University and thenNankai University for three years. As a junior, she left Nankai for Europe on September 21, 1926.[2] Her destination was England to studying medicine but she enrolled atSciences Po in Paris, obtaining PhD degree in political science in 1933.[2]
In 1936 Zhou returned to China with her husband. They settled in Beijing but Zhou soon returned to Paris and remarried a German in 1940.
She taught atLeiden University for 3 years. WhenWorld War II broke out the couple moved to Berlin. To make a living after the war, she studied painting from 1951 to 1953 under Prof. Alfred Mahlau at the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg[3] (University of Fine Arts in Hamburg). She had exhibitions of her paintings inWest Germany, France, Italy, Spain and China. Most of her paintings were donated to Tianjin Art Museum (Chinese: 天津艺术博物馆).[2]
Her first bookKleine Sampan was translated into English, French, Italian and Dutch.[4]
Zhou published several books in Germany,[5] among them:
