When master Hongyi was teaching drawing and music in The 1st Normal School of Zhejiang Province, Feng Zikai was his star pupil. The great work, Protection for Living Beings, which casts an influence for more than half a century, witnesses the peak of their relationship.
Master Hongyi was born in 1880. When he was 50 years old, Mr. Feng painted 50 paintings as the first collection of Protection for Living Beings to celebrate his birthday. As a return, Master Hongyi wrote 50 inscriptions for each work. Later, Mr. Feng created 60 paintings as the gift to mark his teacher’s 60 birthday. These paintings were collected as the second volume of Protection for Living Beings. Master Hongyi said to him, “When I was 70 years old, please make the third volume of Protection for Living Beings, totaling 70 pieces. When I was 80 years old, please make the fourth volume, totaling 80 pieces. The fifth volume for my 90th birthday, totaling 90 pieces. And the sixth volume for my 100th birthday, totaling 100 pieces. Then my wish for the Protection for Living Beings comes true.” Mr. Feng promised him, “I will fulfilled your wish at all events.”
“To protect living beings is to protect one’s heart. Remove the cruelty inside you, and cultivate compassion for all living beings. Then live with this kind heart.” This is the original intention of publishing Protection for Living Beings. The first four volumes came out successfully. The fifth one was supposed to be published in 1969, but Mr. Feng had the foresight to make it ahead of schedule in the first half of 1965 (the year before the Cultural Revolution in China).
The sixth volume was planned to come out in 1979, and it must be Master Hongyi who gave a portent to his loyal student, “I don’t have much time on my clock!” Therefore, Mr. Feng resolutely moved up the time for creating the sixth volume in 1973 (two years before Master Hongyi’s death) Under the special circumstances at that time, this move would inevitably court dangers, but Mr. Feng must keep his promise to his teacher that “I will fulfilled your wish at all events.”
At the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in China, the first floor of Feng’s house was unreasonably occupied. He could only live on a small balcony on the second floor, with a little table to paint and a small bed to curl up asleep. He got up in the early morning to paint and run great political risks to secretly complete the sixth volume of Protection for Living Beings.
It takes half a century to accomplish this series of Protection for Living Beings, which enjoys an influence lasting for generations.
(This is selected from Feng Zikai Cartoons )
