Max Liu Chi-Wei, Poyu Bird, 1980
Mixed media
52 × 69 cm (visible), 96 × 78 × 6 cm (framed)
Condition: Very good
Artwork located in Taichung, Taiwan.
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Max Liu (Taiwanese, 1912–2002) was born in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China. His birth name was Liu Fu-Sheng. At the age of nine, he moved to Japan with his family and later worked for the National Government as a technician in the Ministry of National Defense's Ordnance Bureau. He eventually moved to Taiwan, where he contributed to post-war power infrastructure recovery and restoration projects.
As a self-taught artist outside the formal academy system, Liu's journey with art began in 1949 after visiting an exhibition by Xiang Hong (dates unknown) at Zhongshan Hall in Taipei. Inspired, he started experimenting with watercolor painting and translating art books. In 1971, he resigned from his government position to become a full-time artist. Liu integrated art anthropology and indigenous cultural field studies into his work, striving to promote art while expressing his love for nature and ecological conservation.
Poyu Bird originates from a childhood legend told in Liu Chi-Wei's hometown. The artist once shared that his grandmother told him this story when he was a child:
“Long ago, there was a poor family. On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, a young boy begged his grandmother for a rice dumpling (zongzi). But they couldn't afford any. To cheer him up, the grandmother made a fake dumpling out of mud. Unexpectedly, the innocent child ate it and later died. Heartbroken, the grandmother mourned deeply. From then on, the child was reborn as a beautiful little bird. At dusk, the bird would fly to the big tree in front of their house, calling out ‘Poyu, Poyu!’”
This poignant and melancholic story has deeply influenced Liu's creative imagination, and the Poyu Bird has become a recurring and symbolic figure throughout his work.
(Photographed in June 2025)