Chow Chung-cheng

Chow Chung-cheng (; July 20, 1908 in Yanping, Fujian – August 31, 1996 in Bonn, Germany) was a Chinese artist known for her finger painting and autobiographical books.

Early life and education

Zhou was born the 4th child in a family of two girls and three boys (2 boys died young). Her father, Zhou Xuehui, the youngest son of Zhou Fu, was a successful businessman who ran many of his brother Zhou Xuexi's enterprises. She was born Zhou Lianquan (Chinese 周莲荃 or 周莲全), but later changed her name to Zhongzheng.

Zhou was home schooled initially. When her demand to attend public school like her brothers and male cousins was denied, she seized the opportunity when her grandfather Zhou Fu died in 1921 in Tianjin, to ran away to Beijing. After three months negotiation with her parents openly, she returned home after they agreed that she and her sister were allowed to both attend public school and have the freedom to choose their husbands.

She attended Beiyang Women Normal School (now Hebei Normal University) and then Nankai University for three years. As a junior, she left Nankai for Europe on September 21, 1926. (University of Fine Arts in Hamburg). She had exhibitions of her paintings in West Germany, France, Italy, Spain and China. Most of her paintings were donated to Tianjin Art Museum (Chinese: 天津艺术博物馆).

Publications Zhou published several books in Germany, among them:

1957 (first edition), Kleine Sampan by Verlag Sauerländer; OCLC Number: 73297188 1960, Zehn Jahre des Glücks, by Verlag Sauerländer; 1967, Der König des Baumes, Reutlingen 1968, Die kleinen bunten Fische, Reutlingen 1970, Kraniche, Bonn- Bad Godesberg (zusammen mit Ellen Schmidt-Bleibtreu) 1973, Aber ein Vogel gehört zum Himmel und ein Fisch gehört zum Wasser, Opladen 1974, Slave Gold Flower, by Opladen; 1983, Rot, rot muß es sein! Rund, rund muß es sein!, Stuttgart- Bad Cannstatt