Tiger Spring: "Li Shutong (1880-1942, an outstanding artist, educator and honourable monk...
He was one of the earliest Chinese to go abroad to learn the Western painting, music and drama; the earliest who had
introduced oil painting, piano and the Western music and drama into China. His contribution in artistic fields as well as in education
are widely acclaimed great and prominent.
People still wonder why Li Shutong, while still a middle-aged man of great prospects, had made his fateful decision to convert
himself to Buddhism. On August 19, 1918, he was converted to the Buddhist religion and became a monk in the Dinghui temple, now
inside teh Hupao Park, Hangzhou. He was called `Hongyi' since...
Hongyi died in 1942 in Quanzhou while the anti-Japanese war was still going on."
