Yuan Yao'e (1931) is from Huzhou, Guangdong Province. In 1947, he graduated from the Guangdong Huzhou Art Training School, and later from the Shanghai Art Training Institute. After his graduation from the Oil Painting Department of the Lu Xun Art Academy in 1955, he took up teaching.

Yuan, who now lives in Hong Kong, is mainly known for his oil paintings. The poster 'The Chinese people have high aspirations' from 1978 is considered one of his masterpieces. It depicts an imaginary meeting of political heroes (Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai) and labor models ('Iron Man' Wang Jinxi and Chen Yonggui).