A retired Republic of China Army officer and himself a calligrapher and painter, Sung was prevented by war and fate from learning the craft, though he was born to a family of pigment artisans in Shaohsing, Chekiang Province.
但是，「一錢花青顏料，要花上半個月薪水，實在是一大負擔。」他便動起自製顏料的念頭。研製國畫顏料，傳揚固有文化