Yu Zhizhen (1915-1995) was the woman artist best known for her renderings of lotus flowers in the 1950s and 1960s. She was especially skilled at depicting the flowers in full bloom. In 1937, to learn from the more experienced older generations of lotus painters, she joined the Palace Museum's Traditional Chinese Painting Research Institute. The artist started out by copying and researching important works from various dynasties in the museum's collection. In 1946, she was formally apprenticed to Zhang Daqian (1899-1983), famous for his lotus flower paintings. In the 13 years from 1971 to 1984, she painted the huge bird-and-flower painting, employing the meticulous gongbi brushwork, for Diaoyutai State Guesthouse , with lotus flowers as the main theme. In 1983, she produced a large painting entitled The Lotus Pond Delights Again for the Hall of Purple Lights in Zhongnanhai, headquarters of the Communist Party of China and the central government. Now Yu Zhizhen's works are used as models for students of fine art.