My father is a sculptor.

When he heard that there would be an exhibition of his sculptures as well as a catalogue would be published, he was so excited that he stayed up all night. He said, “I can’t stand it when people are too nice to me.”

My father’s supervisor, the master sculptor Mr. Wang Linyi, said many times during his lifetime “Liu Shiming, your works can be in an exhibition, you have to protect them well.” My father did not keep his works well, I think he thought from the bottom of his heart that it was impossible to hold an exhibition or publish an catalogue, so when this was really going to become a reality, it was hard for him to control himself; for him it was the fulfillment of a heart felt dream. He had reached the most exciting moment of his life.

My father has been suffering from progressive muscular contraction since a young age and has been on crutches since he was a young man. His poor mobility caused him a lot of problems, but he had great self-esteem and always proved by his actions that he would not let his poor health affect his sculpture. He rode a bicycle to work every day, and when he got older he began to ride a small tricycle. At the age of seventy he insisted on riding for more than four hours and covering more than thirty kilometers to visit the new site of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. His perseverance is so amazing that he broke his leg a few years ago and spent more than a year in bed, but as soon as he had recovered, he rode his tricycle on crutches to the studio of the Academy to work again.

He is not good at earning money and he probably hasn’t ever thought about it. Apart from buying books, videos and discs, he seldom spends any money, so he really doesn’t know how expensive daily necessities are. Sometimes when he heard people talking about the rising prices, he would take his books to the bookstall for a discount sale then buy a new one to read. I dare say he has never worn any clothes more than a thousand yuan and probably no more than five hundred yuan.

Now everyone around him is slowly getting rich, but he is still able to turn a blind eye to it, to the point of indifference.

He is very knowledgeable and loves reading books, books on history, ancient and modern Chinese and foreign books, religious books and even books on martial arts. He is addicted to reading so he often stays up all night. He loves listening to operas, including all kinds of local operas. He is also fascinated by music, and once he was so excited to hear the High Mountain and Flowing Water that he kept listening to it for days until he was in tears.

He is not tactful, not knowing the ways of the world and never considers the interests of others, so he does not know if he has inadvertently said or done something to offend other people. He is sincere to everyone, very simple and genuine, and he speaks straightforwardly and acts as he likes or as he thinks it is right. Likewise, he believes what he hears and what others do. He is very friendly to his fellow artists, whether they are leaders, seniors, teachers, fellow classmates, colleagues or students, or even enthusiasts. He treats them all equally and responds to all requests. If you really like a piece of his work, he will say, “If you like it, you can have it.” There are no strings attached.

He is very stubborn in his artistic pursuits and yields to nothing. He is not complacent when he meets the people who appreciate and praise him, nor does he complain when he meets those who are of different schools or cannot appreciate him.

I didn’t understand his works when I was young, but as I got older and had more experiences in life, I have gained a deeper understanding of his works. He is so good at what he does, and it is a pleasure to watch him sculpt, with full concentration, free and relaxed and in one fell swoop, but to the point of perfection. I can’t say that enough. He is good at nothing else but sculpture, because he has been doing it all his life, and because of his sincere relationships with people and his original understanding and memory. His works are the embodiment of his heart, and he speaks in the language of sculpture about the people or events that move him and also the words he wants to say to them.