Lai Shaoqi (1915-2000) was a woodcarver, calligrapher, and painter, and founder of the New Huangshan School of Paintings. Born in Puning in Guangdong Province, Lai studied woodcarving, and was a leading member of the Modern Woodcarving Research Society.

During the early 1940s, Lai was a member of the New Fourth Army, and was briefly imprisoned in the Shangrao Concentration Camp. He later escaped, and received the First-Class Merit award for Meritorious Service.
After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, he served as a leader in literature and arts. In addition to woodcarving, he was also an accomplished poet, calligrapher, seal engraver, and oil painter. He began to devote himself to the research and production of Chinese paintings in the 1950s, and established the New Huangshan School of Paintings.

Today, most of the artist’s works can be found in the Lai Shaoqi Museum of Art in Hefei, China.