Song Ren, whose original name is Song Xiuying (宋秀英), was born in Rongcheng, Shandong Province, in 1932. She started her art training in 1946, and graduated in 1954 from the East China Art Training School. That same year, she enrolled in refresher courses at the Oil Painting Department of the Central Academy. Subsequently, she took up teaching, first at the Oil Painting Department of the Zhejiang Art Academy, starting in 1961, and then at the Oil Painting and Plastic Arts Department of the Shanghai Art Academy (1973-1983). Now she is an associate professor at the Zhejiang Art Academy.

Ms. Song is known for her oil paintings, for which she has received prizes. The poster 'Follow the road of the revolutionary elders' from 1976 is a collaborative work, for which she joined forces with Jin Guangyu, Xiao Feng and Wu Yumei.