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       Bada Shanren (八大山人, literally "Mountain Man of the Eight Greats", ca.1626-1705) , born as Zhu Da (朱耷), was a Chinese painter and calligrapher. He was of noble lineage, being a descendant of the Ming Dynasty Prince of Ning (宁王) - Zhu Quan (朱权).

       A child prodigy, Zhu Da began painting and writing poetry in his early childhood. About the year 1658, when the Ming emperor committed suicide and a rebel army attacked Beijing, the young man sought refuge in a Buddhist temple and became a monk. As a loyal subject of the Ming, he was heartbroken and refused to speak to anyone: he only laughs and cries (as inscriptions on his paintings tell). His paintings feature sharp brush strokes which are attributed to the sideways manner by which he held his brush. 

       A child prodigy, Zhu Da began painting and writing poetry in his early childhood. About the year 1658, when the Ming emperor committed suicide and a rebel army attacked Beijing, the young man sought refuge in a Buddhist temple and became a monk. As a loyal subject of the Ming, he was heartbroken and refused to speak to anyone: he only laughs and cries (as inscriptions on his paintings tell). His paintings feature sharp brush strokes which are attributed to the sideways manner by which he held his brush.