He Yimei (1894-1972) was from Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. Starting in 1915, He worked for the Shanghai Commercial Press and designed many commercial calendar posters there. In 1925 he was hired by the Wing Fat Printing Company (永发公司) in Hong Kong and became one of the best known calendar poster artists there. After the Japanese army occupied Hong Kong in 1941, he returned to Shanghai and worked in the Zhiying Art Studio, again creating calendar posters and other art designs. He was hired as 'special author' by the Shanghai Picture Poster publishing house (上海画片出版社- Shanghai huapian chubanshe) in 1954, and in 1958 for the Shanghai People's Fine Arts Publishing House (上海人民美术出版社, Shanghai renmin meishu chubanshe), one of the top producers of propaganda posters in China.

He excelled in Chinese painting and Western painting. His specializations were pictures of flowers, birds, fish and folk legends.