Zhang Guangyu is one of the founders of modern Chinese comic art. He is also deeply involved in the field of arts and crafts, publishing, design, animation, and art education. He is an important member in art activism and publishing in modern China. As an artist who worked extensively during times of turmoil, Zhang is a clue towards investigating modern Chinese culture before 1949. He is also a pioneer in Chinese decorative painting, paving the way for the development of Chinese contemporary painting. Zhang is also a forerunner in Chinese modern design and design thinking, crossing milestones in the field of arts and crafts and modern design. As a founder of modern Chinese animation, he made the first move to bring Chinese animation onto the international stage. Although he witnessed the transition from modernism to postmodernism, the rapid change of trends and his own premature death did not allow Zhang to fully enter into the public eye. At the same time, due to various misunderstandings, he was excluded from the category of modernist art, and has remained unknown in the history of modern Chinese art.