Born in 1900 as Li Shuliang, the multifaceted figure known as Li Jinfa departed China for France in 1919 to pursue formal training in western-style sculpting at the Beaux-Arts de Paris. His career evolved across multiple disciplines, bridging the gap between European symbolist literary traditions and the architectural and sculptural landscape of twentieth-century China.
Early Development and Symbolist Influences
During his residence in France, Li encountered French symbolist poetry, a movement that profoundly informed his literary direction. He adopted the pen name Li Jinfa in 1922 following an experience involving a vision he credited with curing an illness. Upon returning to China in 1924, he sought to apply these aesthetic sensibilities to his creative outputs, eventually publishing collections including Light Rain in 1925, Song for Happiness in 1926, and Gourmet and the Bad Year in 1927.
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Li’s professional trajectory in China included several academic appointments. He served as the sole sculpting professor at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts starting in 1924 and later joined the faculty of the National Hangzhou Art College in 1928. Alongside his teaching responsibilities, he co-founded a firm called the Roman Engineering Office in Shanghai. In 1936, he moved to Guangzhou to teach at the Guangzhou Municipal Art School, a position he held until the city was captured by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Sculptural Contributions and Wartime Service
Li maintained an active practice as a sculptor, creating public monuments that integrated into the urban fabric of Guangzhou. Notable works from this period include the bronze statue of Wu Tingfang and the sculptural installation at the entrance of the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. During the conflict against Japan, he retreated to the wartime capital of Shaoguan, where he shifted his literary output to patriotic themes, culminating in the publication of Exotic.
Diplomatic Career and Migration
In 1941, Li joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, leading to his appointment as the first secretary to the Republic of China's embassy in Iran in 1944. He subsequently served as chargé d'affaires for the Chinese Embassy in Iraq. Following his diplomatic service, he immigrated to the United States in 1951. He initially worked as a chicken farmer before returning to his sculptural practice, remaining in the country until his death in New York in 1976.
Fast facts
- Born: 1900, Guangzhou
- Died: 1976, New York
- Education: Beaux-Arts de Paris
- Pen name adopted: 1922
- Primary occupations: writer, architect, poet, sculptor
- Diplomatic posts: Iran, Iraq
- Citizenship: People's Republic of China
Questions readers ask
What was Li Jinfa's original name?
His birth name was Li Shuliang.
Did he continue working as a sculptor in the United States?
Yes, after an initial period working as a chicken farmer, he returned to his professional practice as a sculptor.
Achievements
- Trained at Beaux-Arts de Paris
