Qian Juntao: The "Qian Cover" of Shanghai, a man of many talents

Qian Juntao was a man of many talents, and he was the best example of the saying "a book designer who doesn't know poetry, painting, and seal carving is not a good musician." He was also the best example of the saying "a young man is crazy about one thing" by Wang Guowei. Qian Juntao learned music from Liu Zhiping, a disciple of Master Hongyi, and later founded the "Wanye Bookstore" in Shanghai, where he served as the editor-in-chief of the New Music Publishing House. He also composed more than 100 songs and was known as "the pioneer and founder of modern music publishing in China." Qian Juntao was a master of seal carving, and he carved more than 20,000 seals in his lifetime. His seals, such as "Yinyin Shengge Chuchu Sui" and "Qingshan Xiajiu Shiqianhang," were all inscribed with long inscriptions in cursive script, full of vigor and vitality. He named his study "Wujuanku Zhai" after the words "Wumen" by Zhao Zhiqian, "Juansou" by Huang Shiling, and "Kutie" by Wu Changshuo. Qian Juntao's freehand paintings had a literati flavor, a rich sense of metal and stone, and a musical feel. He was good at book design and was deeply influenced by Lu Xun's aesthetic ideas, and was known as the "Qian Cover" for his call for new culture. He was an artist for more than 70 years, and his circle of friends and teachers was luxurious, with famous teachers such as Feng Zikai, Wu Mengfei, Wu Changshuo, and Huang Binhong. He was also a poet, essayist, and collector, and donated his lifelong collection to the country in his later years.