1903

Lu Xiaoman  陆小曼, alias Xiaomei ( 1903-1965 ) was born in September in Shanghai,

and grew up in Changzhou, in the province of Jiangsu, China.

She wrote and painted, from an early age.

She studied at Beijing Girl's Junior High, High Beijing Sacred Heart School

Fluent in English and French, she was employed as an interpreter by the Minister

of Foreign Affairs.

- Writer, ( prose, poetry, fiction ) she never published her writings.

- Opera singer, she stood out from the start on stage.

- Painter, she studied with Liu Haisu, Chen Banding, He Tianjian, and specialized

in paintings of landscapes, flowers and birds.

1920

She married Wang Ge (1895 -1945), a suitor chosen by her mother.

Shortly after, she met the young poet Xu Zhimo, whom she fell in love with.

1925

She divorced, despite the scandal.

1926

On October 3, she married in Beijing, Xu Zhimo (1897-1931) also divorced

She joined the Chinese Women's Painting Calligraphy Society.

1931

On November 19, her husband died in a plane crash in Tai'an, Shandong Province.

1941

Solo exhibition in Shanghai.

1950/1960

She was a painter at the Shanghai Academy of Chinese Painting.

1965

Sick, suffering from asthma and pulmonary emphysema, she died on April 3,

at the hospital, at the age of 62 years. Contrary to her wish, she was not buried

with her husband because the son of his first wife opposed it.

Danièle Sicard

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