Pu Ru was a traditional Chinese painter and calligrapher and cousin of Pu Yi, the last Emperor of China. Pu’s work consisted of themes meant to symbolize contemplation, including landscapes, garden stones, and poems. Born Pu Xinyu on August 30, 1896 in Beijing, China, as a member of the Manchu royal family he was able to study astronomy and biology at the University of Berlin. After returning to China, he spent many years in the mountains at the Jie Tai Monastery to perfect his calligraphy and painting techniques. Following the overthrow of the Qing dynasty, when the communist forces came to power, he fled to Taiwan, where he made a living selling his work. In 1949, he was appointed a professor at National Taiwan Normal University. In spite of his Western education, he advocated for traditional Chinese painting. In 1959, he held a comprehensive exhibition of his works at the National Museum of History in Taipei. The artist died on November 18, 1963 in Taipei, Taiwan. Today, Pu’s works are held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Long Museum in Shanghai, and the Brooklyn Museum, among others.