Ning Yeh was born in Mainland China in 1946. He was given the name Ning, meaning tranquility, to celebrate the ending of the war. The Yeh family has been famed in the field of brush painting for four generations. His father, a general in the Chinese army, is internationally renowned for his horse painting.

Ning Yeh’s art training started when he was seven, after the family moved to Taiwan in 1949. His daily practice included the Four Gentlemen (plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum) and calligraphy. 

Above: Ning Yeh with his high school buddies

Dr. Yeh became a full-time art professor in 1972. He is a three-time recipient of the National Teaching Excellence Award. In 1987, his first television series, Chinese Brush Painting with Ning Yeh, won the Emmy Award for Best Instructional Series. In 1997, Chinese Flower Painting with Ning Yeh (1 and 2) began airing on PBS stations. In the 2000s, Dr. Yeh released his fourth television series Chinese Animal Painting. These TV series had 25 years of continuous airing in the United States. 

Dr. Yeh has published many books and art albums. His instructional books, Chinese Brush Painting: An Instructional Guide and A.B.C. of Chinese Painting, are best sellers with repeated editions. His four volume series, 108 Flowers, accompanied by online step-by-step videos is his most endearing effort in sharing the magic of brush painting.

 Landscape Lessons Books 1 and 2 document over 50 years of dream journeys to China and Taiwan, interpreting magnificent scenery in Dr. Yeh’s classic and evocative painting style. 

In 2020, Ning Yeh began to dedicate much of his time to painting as an artist instead of teaching group classes. This has given him time to fully concentrate on creating a collection of artwork to share with the world to spread the joy of Chinese Brush Painting.

Above: Ning with parents and grandfather in China, 1948

At the age of fifteen, the focus of his training turned to horse painting, his family tradition. Two years later he won the highest honor for his horse painting at the Chinese Youth Art Festival. He proceeded with floral and landscape paintings, and he gradually developed his own style.

Ning Yeh accepted the scholarships offered by the California State University system and the Pearl McManus Foundation, and subsequently received his Ph. D with honors in the field of Asian Studies at Claremont Graduate School.

Above: Graduating with his Ph. D. from Claremont with wife Lingchi, son Evan, and daughter Jashin, 1978