Mr. Qi Baishi, who was once conferred the title of "People's Artist", was also quite shrewd when it came to selling his paintings and calculating fees. According to Zhang Daqian, he liked to "quibble over every detail." After turning 70, due to his failing eyesight, Qi Baishi found it strenuous to paint intricate grass insects and leaves, so he would ask others to paint most of these details for him. He would then add a few strokes in front of the buyer to show that the work was personally done by him. This mixed practice of genuine and fake works, which is not an isolated phenomenon (commonly referred to as "Wang Jidan" among the folk), is also a form of forgery and indirect fraud. Such practices have existed in the works of many famous artists, including Wen Zhengming, Dong Qichang, Wang Hui, Wang Yuanqi, Gao Qipei, Jin Nong, and Wu Changshuo. Therefore, how could there be fewer than tens of thousands of forgeries by these famous artists that have survived until today?
Zhang Daqian often replicated ancient paintings with He Haixia providing the preliminary sketches. In the 1940s, due to the turbulent times, He Haixia had no choice but to make a living by selling his paintings. His life was extremely impoverished during this period. Moreover, He Haixia fell seriously ill, almost plunging his family into despair. Fortunately, his fellow disciple Li Shuren often provided financial assistance, helping him get through those tough years.
Due to the unstable political situation and difficult living conditions, He Haixia moved several times. Initially, he moved out of the northeast garden of Liulichang and rented a small house on Shanxi Street in Beiping, where life was very hard. Despite this, he continued to explore art tirelessly. Later, he moved to No. 14 Zongmao Fourth Alley in Xidan, Beijing. To make ends meet, He Haixia worked even harder on his paintings, often finishing a piece just to sell it at Liulichang and exchange it for food to survive day by day. In 1945, after the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Zhang Daqian returned to Beiping, and He Haixia reunited with his teacher. He began assisting Zhang Daqian in collecting rare antiques from Liulichang and helped with their authentication. In March 1946, He Haixia followed Zhang Daqian south to Sichuan, where they visited numerous scenic spots and sketched landscapes. At that time, they lived in the Zhong Family Courtyard in Taihe Field, Pixian County, and later moved to the West Pagoda Courtyard of Zhaojue Temple in Chengdu.
It was during this time that He Haixia met Ye Qianyu. When Ye Qianyu visited Zhang Daqian in Sichuan with his wife, He Haixia got to know them. During this period, Zhang Daqian often replicated ancient paintings, some of which were drafted by He Haixia. Additionally, He Haixia painted landscapes on behalf of Zhang Daqian and collaborated multiple times with him on large-scale figure and landscape paintings. Many of these works were collected by museums in countries and regions such as the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, and Japan.