Cheng was born in Shanghai, China, given name Cheng Tong. Cheng enrolled at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Art (上海美术专科学校) in 1938. There, he was mentored by several teachers, Wang Gefang (王个簃), Li Zhongqian (李仲乾) and Wang Shengyuan (汪声远) at the Chinese Painting Department. It was Li Zhongqian who gave the name “Shifa” to Cheng, who continued to use this moniker throughout his artistic career. Cheng graduated from the academy in 1941. Shortly after the liberation of Shanghai in 1949, he joined the Shanghai Peoples’ Fine Arts Publishing House (上海人民美术出版社) as a professional artist and the Shanghai Chinese Painting Academy (上海中国画) as a teacher in 1956. He became its President in 1984 and remained their honorary President in his twilight years.
A leading figure in Chinese modern art history, Cheng was revered as a bridge between tradition and modernity. He emphasised the beauty of the line through a harmonious synthesis of heavy and light strokes. By way of illustration, Cheng employed a cursive script in this vertical scroll with thin and bold lines.
