Tang Yun was an important painter from Hangzhou in Zhejiang. Besides flowers and birds he also painted landscapes and figures. In 1938 he moved to Shanghai where he taught Chinese painting at the Xinhua College of art (Xinhua yizhuan) and the Shanghai College of Art (Shanghai yizhuan). Later he joined the Shanghai Chinese Painting Academy (Shanghai huayuan) and became its Vice-Director. He was also member of the Xiling Painting Society and co-founder of the Shun Society (Shun she) at the West Lake in Hangzhou. Yun Tang lived from 1910 to 1993.

Tang Yun, also known by the courtesy name Xiachen, was born in 1910 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. He was a major figure in twentieth-century Chinese painting and became one of the most influential members of the Shanghai art world. Early in his career, Tang Yun apprenticed with traditional painters in Hangzhou before moving to Shanghai in 1938, where he taught at the Xinhua Art Training School and the Shanghai Fine Art Training School.

Tang Yun later held several important cultural positions. He served as Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Branch of the China Artists Association, Vice President, Acting President, and Honorary President of the Shanghai Chinese Painting Academy, and was active in major artistic institutions including the Xiling Seal Society and the Chinese Painting Research Institute. These roles reflected his central place in the development of modern Chinese painting in Shanghai.

Tang Yun was known for his mastery of flower-and-bird painting, landscape, and figure painting, using traditional brush techniques in a lively, modernized manner that emphasized natural atmosphere and expressive brushwork. His work drew on classical models while contributing to the evolution of twentieth-century ink painting.

Tang Yun lived in Shanghai for most of his life and remained active in the city’s artistic circles until his death in 1993.