Tao Tian'en (1927-2009), also known as Tian En (田恩), was born in Penglai, Shandong Province. In 1946, he was admitted to Shandong University as a draftsman. In 1949, he served as a teacher at the Qingdao Academy of Fine Arts. He became the leader of the art group of the Qingdao Daily Group (青岛日报社) in 1954, and deputy director and senior arts and crafts artist of the Qingdao Institute of Arts and Crafts in 1979. He suddenly passed away at the age of 83 in 2009.