Age, Biography and Wiki

Zhang Chongren was born on 27 September, 1907 in Qibao, Shanghai County, Jiangsu Province, Qing Empire, is a Chinese sculptor; friend of Hergé, the Belgian creator of Tintin. Discover Zhang Chongren's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 91 years old?

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Occupation Sculptor
Age 91 years old
Zodiac Sign Libra
Born 27 September 1907
Birthday 27 September
Birthplace Qibao, Shanghai County, Jiangsu Province, Qing Empire
Date of death 8 October, 1998
Died Place Nogent-sur-Marne, France
Nationality

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 27 September. He is a member of famous sculptor with the age 91 years old group.

Zhang Chongren Height, Weight & Measurements

At 91 years old, Zhang Chongren height not available right now. We will update Zhang Chongren's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
Height Not Available
Weight Not Available
Body Measurements Not Available
Eye Color Not Available
Hair Color Not Available

Who Is Zhang Chongren's Wife?

His wife is Shen Peiyu (m. 1939)

Family
Parents Not Available
Wife Shen Peiyu (m. 1939)
Sibling Not Available
Children 4

Zhang Chongren Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Zhang Chongren worth at the age of 91 years old? Zhang Chongren’s income source is mostly from being a successful sculptor. He is from . We have estimated Zhang Chongren's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income sculptor

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Timeline

1907

Zhang Chongren (27 September 1907 – 8 October 1998), also known as Chang Chong-jen, was a Chinese sculptor best remembered in Europe as a friend of Hergé, the Belgian cartoonist and creator of The Adventures of Tintin.

The two met when Zhang was an art student in Brussels.

Zhang served as the inspiration for Chang Chong-Chen, a recurring character in the Tintin stories.

Zhang was born the son of a gardener in 1907 in Xujiahui (Ziccawei), then a suburb of Shanghai, China.

The young Zhang lost both his parents at an early age and grew up in the French Jesuit orphanage of Tou-Se-we (now Tushanwan) where he entered at the age of seven, and where he learned French.

He then entered the Art School of the orphanage, where he learned to draw, and was systematically educated in Western art.

1928

After finishing school in 1928, Zhang worked with design for the film industry and at a local newspaper.

1931

In 1931, he left China for the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, Belgium.

Hergé's early albums of The Adventures of Tintin were highly dependent on stereotypes for comedic effect.

These included evil Russian Bolsheviks, lazy and ignorant Africans, and an America of gangsters, cowboys and Indians.

At the close of the newspaper run of Cigars of the Pharaoh, Hergé had mentioned that Tintin's next adventure (The Blue Lotus) would bring him to China.

Father Gosset, the chaplain to the Chinese students at the University of Leuven, wrote to Hergé urging him to be sensitive about what he wrote about China.

1934

Hergé agreed, and in the spring of 1934 Gosset introduced him to Zhang Chongren.

The two young artists quickly became close friends, and Zhang introduced Hergé to Chinese history and culture, and the techniques of Chinese art.

Of similar age, they also shared many interests and beliefs.

Hergé even promised to give authorship credits to Zhang in the book, but Zhang declined the offer.

As a result of this experience, Hergé would strive, in The Blue Lotus and subsequent Tintin adventures, to be meticulously accurate in depicting the places Tintin visited.

As a token of appreciation, Hergé added the character "Chang Chong-Chen" (Tchang in original French-language version) to The Blue Lotus.

As another result of his friendship with Zhang, Hergé became increasingly aware of the problems of colonialism, in particular the Empire of Japan's advances into China, and the corrupt, exploitative International Settlement of Shanghai.

The Blue Lotus carries a bold anti-imperialist message, contrary to the prevailing view in Europe, which was sympathetic to Japan and the colonial enterprise.

As a result, it Drew Sharp criticism from various parties, including a protest by Japanese diplomats to the Belgian Foreign Ministry.

1935

At the end of his studies in Brussels in 1935, Zhang made a tour of France, Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Italy before returning home to China.

1936

Upon his arrival back in Shanghai in 1936, Zhang held a number of shows exhibiting his drawings and sculptures.

He also established the Chongren Studio to further his art and to teach.

Hergé lost contact with him during the invasion of China by Japan (which is usually regarded as the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War) and the subsequent Chinese Civil War.

More than four decades would pass before the two friends would meet again.

In an instance of life mirroring art, Hergé managed to resume contact with his old friend Zhang, years after Tintin rescued the fictional Chang in the closing pages of Tintin in Tibet.

1970

Zhang had been a street sweeper during the Cultural Revolution, before becoming the head of the Fine Arts Academy in Shanghai during the 1970s.

1979

After the economic liberalization of China in 1979, Zhang received widespread acknowledgment in the Chinese art community.

A collection of his oil paintings and sculptures were published and in his later years, Zhang worked as an editor and translator of several books on art.

Among the portraits he painted are those of Chinese paramount leader Deng Xiaoping and French President François Mitterrand.

1981

Zhang returned to Europe for a reunion with Hergé in 1981 on the invitation of the French government.

1989

In 1989 he received French citizenship and settled down to teach in the Paris suburb of Nogent-sur-Marne, where he died in 1998.

Shortly after his death, a memorial museum dedicated to him was established in Qibao, Shanghai.

A number of his paintings and sculptures are held in the China Museum of Fine Art in Beijing and the China Museum of Revolutionary Warfare.