From 1949 to 1955, CHU Teh-Chun taught Western painting at the National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU).

In 1954, he organised a major display of his work in Taipei, his first solo exhibition, at Taipei’s Chungshan (Zhongshan) Hall, renamed in honour of Sun Yat-Sen in 1945. 

This prestigious edifice, originally commissioned by the Japanese government and constructed between 1932 and 1936, took 94.500 men to build.

In 1954 it was already the official reception venue for foreign dignitaries and diplomats.

He exhibited about fifty paintings, all figurative oils: landscapes, portraits, nudes and still lifes.

The “vernissage” took place on Friday 17 December 1954 and even though the exhibition only lasted four days, CHU managed to sell all of his works.

It was thanks to the encouragement of his friend ZHANG Daofan, who, although a politician, prefers to spend time with artists, that this exhibition was made possible. ZHANG encourages CHU to go and study in Paris, and the exhibition is organised so that CHU can raise the money he needs to travel and live in Paris for at least a year. 

Thanks to Zhang’s networks, as well as those of Huang Shaogu and Luo Jialun, many ministers and personalities attended the exhibition and bought paintings. What’s more, the press was enthusiastic and full of praise, and many articles appeared announcing and then commenting on the exhibition.

It’s the proceeds from these sales that will enable CHU Teh-Chun to buy his boat ticket and achieve what he’s been dreaming of since his early years as a student in Hangzhou: going to Paris!