Leave behind the last "Blue Rabbit" zodiac stamp, which was once a "Shanghai float". Huang Yongyu passed away at the age of 99 and received it | Magazine | Huang Yongyu

"Our father Huang Yongyu separated due to illness at 3:43 am on June 13, 2023. We respect his wishes: no farewell or mourning ceremony will be held." On June 14, Huang Yongyu's children Huang Heiman, Huang Heini, and Li Jieqin revealed to the outside world.

Huang Yongyu, pen name Huang Xingbing, Huang Niu, Niu Fuzi, was born on July 9, 1924 in Changde County, Hunan Province. Her ancestral home was Fenghuang County, Hunan Province. She is a Tujia ethnic group, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Painting, a professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and former director of the Printmaking Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts and vice chairman of the Chinese Artists Association. She is an influential artist in contemporary China.

Huang Yongyu Halibut Shoot

Famous writer Shen Congwen is Huang Yongyu's cousin uncle. In the 1930s and 1940s, Huang Yongyu began to create woodcuts, which later expanded to art categories such as oil painting, traditional Chinese painting, sculpture, and craft design. His representative works include the colored woodcut "Ashima" and artworks such as owls and lotus flowers. The stamps he designed for the Year of the Monkey and the packaging for "Drunkard" liquor are widely known.

Huang Yongyu's woodcut work "Lu Xun and Woodcut Youth" provided by the Shanghai Lu Xun Memorial Hall

Huang Yongyu's experience is quite legendary. Due to his poor family background, he went out to make a living at the age of 12, became a carpenter at the age of 14, and published his first painting at the same time; At the age of 23, he became a director of the National Woodcut Association of China; At the age of 28, he became a professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts; At the age of 32, he became a nationally renowned painter; Travel to Italy to study sketching at the age of 70; At the age of 80, he appeared on the cover of a fashion magazine and became the oldest "fashion gentleman" in history; At the age of 93, he even drove a Ferrari sports car on the street. Host Bai Yansong once said, "When you get old, you have to become someone like him."

On April 20, 2014, the "My Literary Industry - Huang Yongyu's Works Exhibition" opened in Beijing, and Huang Yongyu signed and sold books for readers. Xinhua News Agency pictures

Huang Yongyu was once a "Shanghai drifter", and his experience of wandering to Shanghai during his youth had a profound impact on his artistic career in the future. He also had a special connection with this city. The Shanghai Harvest magazine has long serialized his autobiographical work "The Wandering Man of the Worry free River". In October 2013, Huang Yongyu came to Shanghai and the reporter witnessed a small recitation of his works at a small hall in the Bund Source. According to the process of Huang Yongyu's literary creation, everyone reads poetry, prose, and novels in three categories one by one. The finale of that day was Huang Yongyu's novel "The Wandering Man of the Worry free River", which he started writing in the 1940s, stopped writing several times, and continued writing at the age of over eighty.

Huang Yongyu, who had been sitting under the stage all along, finally took the stage and recited the afterword of "The Wandering Man of the Wuchou River" in a strong local accent. At that time, he said, "The first part of 'The Wandering Man of the Worry free River' has been printed. Thank you to Li Xiaolin from 'Harvest' magazine. I am not sure if there has been a second magazine owner in the world who has been so tolerant and patient, allowing a novel to be serialized for five years and still being serialized. One day, if it is serialized, there will be only two accidents - one day, Li Xiaolin suddenly exclaimed, 'I can't bear it! Let this article go to hell!' Secondly, I myself died in the middle of the way! Otherwise, on the day all three books are published, a celebration party will be held, and all old friends will gather together, so that... Everyone should be so happy, so happy!"

On October 27, 2013, the "Huang Yongyu Works Reading Conference" was held at the Bund Source 1, and Huang Yongyu made his final appearance on stage. Photo by Jiang Diwen

After that, another 8 years passed, and in August 2021, the third part of "The Wandering Man of Wuchou River", "Day Reading", was completed for editing, proofreading, and factory printing, which was in line with the first part of "Zhuque City" published in August 2013.

"The Wandering Man of Wuchou River" contains 840000 words of "Zhuque City", 1.3 million words of "Eight Years", and 480000 words of "Daily Reading", depicting the legend of the protagonist Zhang Xuzi.

Although he gained fame through woodcutting and painting, Huang Yongyu regarded literature as his most beloved profession. "Living so old, he often suffers from these memories." In "Day Reading," he wrote a self narration: "After being deceived and unlucky, it doesn't hurt, it doesn't bother me, and it's not even a lesson. He uses his foolish behavior as a joke to entertain his friends. He doesn't do similar performances to drown his sorrows in alcohol, letting his friends share my small pain and itch." This is probably the origin of the three words "worry free river.".

Because of his love for woodcutting, Huang Yongyu made like-minded friends. He met and befriended a group of woodcarvers, cartoonists, poets, newspapermen, and readers in Fujian and Jiangxi, and also met his lifelong lover Meixi. He vividly portrayed the characteristics of each city. In his book "Walking Reading", he wrote that when he first arrived in Shanghai, "Xu Zi found that although the roads in big cities were flat, they were not as easy to walk as those in Zhuque's side. He didn't hang his feet, which made it difficult for him to work hard. He was not afraid of a long distance. He looked around, broadcasted dramas, and played foreign drums and horns, and quickly arrived home. However, the pair of leather shoes on his feet was quite expensive."

On October 18, 2013, the pre exhibition of "My Literary Industry - Huang Yongyu's Works Exhibition" was held in the exhibition hall of the Shanghai Library, and the Huang Yongyu Reader Meeting was held simultaneously. On the 19th, the exhibition opened. Photo by Jiang Diwen

On June 22, 2018, the "Beautiful Art Life" special event commemorating Wang Danfeng was held at Studio 5 of the Maritime Film Studio, with Huang Yongyu on the third left. Haishaer photography

At the former residence of Ba Jin on Wukang Road, Huang Yongyu presented a bronze statue of Ba Jin's former residence, "No More Sorrow in the New Century," which recorded his deep affection for Ba Jin. In the 1940s, Huang Yongyu, Wang Zengqi, and Huang Shang were known as the "Three Swordsmen" of Shanghai Beach, and the three of them often visited the Ba Lao Mansion together. Huang Yongyu once said that among literary predecessors, he was most afraid of Ba Lao. Saying "afraid" is more about love and respect. In 2011, the renovation of Ba Jin's former residence was completed and opened to the public. He designed a collection ticket for the residence, created a portrait of Ba Lao, and wrote a poem titled "Who Are You?". In 2013, he created another work for Ba Jin's former residence, giving the bronze statue the image of a ragged, skinny victim opening their arms and embracing the new world to their heart's content. The bronze statue was placed by the staircase in the southwest corner of the backyard of Ba Jin's former residence. On the day of the unveiling, Huang Yongyu once again stepped into this familiar garden. After the ceremony, the 90 year old man took off his coat and sat cross legged on the garden grass, wearing only his shirt. No one knew what the old mischievous child wanted to do. In a moment, he fell backwards and rolled on the grass, one, two

On the afternoon of October 28, 2013, Huang Yongyu arrived at the former residence of Bajin and unveiled the bronze statue "No More Sorrow in the New Century". After the ceremony, at the age of 90, he rolled cross legged on the lawn like a child. Photo by Jiang Diwen

As the pioneer of Chinese zodiac stamps, Huang Yongyu designed the 1980 Monkey Ticket with extremely high value. In the year of the Guimao Rabbit, he designed the Chinese zodiac stamp for the third time, and the extraordinary "Blue Rabbit" quickly gained popularity, with mixed reviews. On January 5th this year, 99 year old Huang Yongyu responded through a video, "Drawing a rabbit stamp is a happy thing. Everyone knows how to draw rabbits, and I am not the only one who can. Drawing it makes everyone happy and just congratulates the New Year."

Philatelic enthusiasts showcase special stamps from the year of Guimao, with pictures from Xinhua News Agency