Chinese Name: 梁秀中
Born: 1934
Birthplace: Nanjing, China
Did You Know That… ?
Liang Shiow-chung has displayed her artistic talent when she was young. In her senior year of high school, Liang won first place in her school’s sketch competition, essay competition, and calligraphy competition.
Born in China’s Nanjing in 1937 to an artist family, Liang Shiow-chung has shown her talent for art from a young age. Her father was the renowned artist Liang Chung-ming (梁中銘), who was known together with his two brothers Liang Ding-ming (梁鼎銘) and Liang You-ming (梁又銘) as the “Three Liangs (梁氏三傑).” Because of the Second Sino-Japanese war, Liang and her family relocated frequently throughout southern China, reaching places such as Guangxi, Sichuan, Chongqing, before finally settling down in Shanghai. In 1948, the Liang family moved to Taiwan.
Liang met her mentor, renowned painter Lin Yu-shan (林玉山), in her high school, where Lin worked as an art teacher. Famous for his ink wash paintings, Lin’s influences started Liang’s journey as an ink wash artist. She later enrolled in the National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) in 1955, studying under contemporary masters in both Western and Eastern art styles, including Huang Chun-pi (黃君璧), Pu Hsin-yu (溥心畬), Wu Yung-hsiang (吳詠香), Ma Pai-sui (馬白水), and Liao Chi-chun (廖繼春), who helped Liang lay a solid foundation in art.
Liang’s vivid paintings combined the characteristics of traditional Chinese art with daily scenes, creating an exquisite yet everyday atmosphere. She often takes inspiration from travels and her daily life, focusing her subjects on people, fauna, and scenery.
Outside of her art career, Liang is also famous for her contributions to art education. After graduating from NTNU, Liang worked as a teaching assistant intern in her alma mater and gradually moved up the ladder, eventually becoming a professor. In 1978, Liang served as the Chair of the Department of Fine Arts, making her the first graduate of NTNU’s Department of Fine Arts to become a department chair at the school, as well as the first female department head at a national university.
During her time as the chair, the department initiated its master’s program, and a new building for the department was constructed. In her 50 years of teaching at the NTNU, Liang has nurtured countless outstanding art educators, passing on the knowledge in arts inherited from her mentors to future generations.
Many of Liang’s students mentioned in interviews that although Liang Shiow-chung was strict in class, she was actually easy-going outside of class. She cared about her students in various aspects, including their studies and social life. If they had any problems, she would listened to them patiently and help them. She often invited the whole class to her place for dinner, treating them like family.
In Dec. 2021, the Ministry of Education presented Liang the Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honor for educators in Taiwan, at the 8th Arts Education Contribution Award ceremony, commending her lifelong contributions to Taiwan’s art education.