Liu Zewen (1943) is from Jimo, Shandong Province. Liu did not start out as an artist, but joined the People's Liberation Army in 1964. In 1970, he transferred to work in the New China Bookstores (新华书店, Xinhua shudian) in the Yantai region. He became art editor with the Yantai Branch of the Shandong Provincial General Publishing House in 1976.

Liu is mainly known for his watercolors.