Yang Shan-Shen, also known as Yang Liu-Zhai, was born in Taishan of China’s Guangdong Province. He was known as “The Last Lingnan School Master”. Yang moved to Hong Kong in 1930 and began studying painting in 1933 when he met Gao Jianfu and developed a long-standing relationship with him as both a friend and pupil. He was known for numerous his calligraphy and numerous painting styles, including floral, bird, animal, character, and landscape paintings. Through Gao Jianfu’s influence and his time studying in Kyoto in 1935, he especially loved depicting animals in his paintings — with all sorts of birds and beasts serving as subjects of his paintings. In 1988, he moved to Vancouver, Canada and often spent time between Vancouver and Hong Kong afterwards. In 1999, he was honored with the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. Yang died at the age of 91 on May 15, 2004, in his home at Baocheng Building, 10-16 Po Shan Rd, Mid-Level, Hong Kong.