This year marks the 120th anniversary of the birth of respected painter and art educator Xu Beihong (1895-1953). At a recent commemoration at the Grand Hall of the People, staff from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, which Xu headed from 1946 until his death, remembered Xu's artistic legacies and his strong personality.

Famed oil painter Jin Shangyi, 81, who enrolled in CAFA in 1949, said he was most impressed by Xu's passion for art and education at the time.

"He was in his 50s and not in good health. One day he summoned all the students to the sports ground. After we sat down, he started to lecture on Western art history.

"He didn't teach class then. Still, he took art education pretty seriously," Jin recalled.

Xu Qingping, the youngest son of the artist, said, "My father firmly believed that seeking truth and being knowledgeable are essential tasks of an artist. All his life, father lived up to the belief."

He said Xu Beihong didn't leave much money to the family when he died of a brain hemorrhage at 58, because he spent a larger part of his wages and savings on collecting paintings.

"I remembered that antique shops visited our house two to three times a week. They brought paintings that my father would be interested in buying. He collected more than 1,200 paintings, some dating back to the Tang Dynasty, and of modern masters like Zhang Daqian and Qi Baishi. They were the sheer pleasure of his life.

"He thought about building an art museum to show his collections. Also he shared his collections with students so that they better understood Chinese painting and knew how to create."

Liao Jingwen, mother of Xu Qingping, died suddenly at her Beijing home last month. She was 92.

The day her husband died, Liao donated his collection and the family property to the country, which were later converted into the Xu Beihong Memorial.