Ashmolean Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

1949

2 July

An Exhibition of Artwork 美术作品展览会 (The First National Art Exhibition) opens at the Peking School of Arts 北平艺专, with 604 works exhibited including prints, cartoons, New Year pictures, story-pictures, oil paintings, ink paintings, sculptures, paper-cuts and 150 prints. The exhibition is organized by the All China Art Workers’ Association 中华全国美术工作者协 会 (now called the Chinese Artists’ Association 中国美术家协会) and the Chinese Culture Committee (now called the Ministry of Culture)

1950

2 March

The Chinese Artists' Association calls a ‘Forum of New Nianhua (New Year pictures)' to discuss the content and form of the new nianhua.

Spring

The All China Woodcut Artists' Association 中华 全国木刻协会 is disbanded and all its members join the All China National Artists' Association.

1 April

The Peking School of Arts and the Third Section of Huabei University 华北大学join together to form the Central Academy of Fine Arts with Xu Beihong 徐悲鸿as the head of the Academy. Xu is also the Chairman of the All China National Artists’ Association.

9 April

The Shanghai Woodcut Study Society 上海木刻 研充会 is established in Shanghai.

14 November

The All China National Artists' Association calls artists from different groups and individuals in Beijing and delivers a united announcement on supporting the policy of ‘Resisting America and aiding Korea, safeguarding the home and defend­ing the motherland'. Many cities are called to organize exhibitions supporting this policy.

December

The Shanghai Dadong Bookshop publishes a book written and edited by Yang Keyang (q.v) and Zhao Yannian (q.v):  How to Make Woodcuts 怎样刻木刻 as one of a series of books on new art for self-taught artists.

1951

1-6 March

An Exhibition of the National New Nianhua 全 国新年幽展览会, organized by the Chinese Artists' Association, shows 440 prints at the Reading Room of the Russian Foreign Affairs Association in Dongdan Dajie, Beijing.

June

The catalogue A Selection of Woodblock Prints of 1950 一九五零年木刻选集, edited by the Shanghai Woodcut Study Society, is published by the Huadong People’s Publishing House.

14 September

The People’s Fine Arts Publishing House is established in Beijing.

18 October

The National General Administration of Press and Publication issues ‘Instructions on strengthening the work on new Nianhua’.

1952

4 September

Shen Yanbing (1896-1981), Minister of Culture, announces the award for the new nianhua of 1951-52. In Guizhou province 24 nianhua win a group prize. Other prize-winning works include Lin Gang’s (q.v) Chairman Mao Talking with Zhao Guilan at a Meeting of Labour and Combat Heroes 群英会上的赵桂兰 (cat. no. 19) [EA2006.287]; Deng Shu’s (q.v) Protecting Peace 保卫和平, which receives the first prize; Yan Han’s (q.v) Bride’s Speech 新娘子讲话, and Li Qun's (q.v) The Representatives of Chairman Mao Visit the Taihang Old Base Area 毛主席的代表访问太行老 根据地 among the 33 works awarded the third prize. Reported in The People’s Daily, 5 September 1952.

1953

5-18 May

The exhibition Woodcut Prints of the Japanese People’s Artists is mounted at the Yuexin Palace of Beihai Park in Beijing, totalling 97 prints by 26 printmakers.

4 November

An exhibition of Russian prints and drawings is organized by the Chinese Artists’ Association in Beijing. The exhibition shows more than 70 works.

1954

20 January

Art 美术 (the initial name was The People’s Art 人民美 术), a monthly journal of the Chinese Artists’ Association, is established in Beijing.

25 February

Exhibition Prints from Czechoslovakia opens at the Zhongshan Park, Beijing: 141 prints by 31 artists are shown.

5 September

The 1st National Prints Exhibition 第一届全国版画 展览会 opens in Beijing, with 196 prints by 85 printmakers from 20 provinces, municipalities and autono­mous regions. The exhibition is organized by the Central Culture Department and the China Artists’ Association. The show subsequently tours Shanghai and Guangzhou.

September

Announcement of the establishment of Printmaking Department in both the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing and the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts in Hangzhou, marking a milestone in the history of Chinese printmaking education. In addition to woodcut workshops, intaglio and lithography work­shops are also set up.

1955

24 January

The Shanghai Museum mounts the exhibition Woodblock Printed Folk Nianhua, in which more than 230 works are exhibited.

27 March—15 May

The 2nd National Art Exhibition, organized by the Ministry of Culture and the Chinese Artists’ Association, opens at the Beijing Soviet Exhibition Hall in Beijing with 996 works of which 116 are prints. The show later tours Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chongqing, Xi’an and Shenyang.

29 July

An exhibition of Japanese woodcut prints opens in Beijing; it is organized by the Chinese Artists’ Association. 222 prints are exhibited.

2 October

An exhibition of Shuiyin (water-soluble colour print), Woodcut Prints from the Rongbaozhai Studio 荣宝斋木版水印画展览会opens at the Shuaifuyuan Gallery: 380 prints are exhibited. This exhibition is organized by the Chinese Artists’ Association and the People’s Fine Arts Publishing House.

10 November

An exhibition of Finnish Print Art opens in Beijing; the Chinese People’s Cultural Association with Foreign Countries organizes it.

1956

20 April

An exhibition of British Prints opens at the Zhongshan Park in Beijing, with 220 prints exhibited. It is organized by the Chinese People’s Cultural Association with Foreign Countries.

28 April

Mao Zedong launches his guiding principle - ‘Let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend’ - at the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

1 October

The bimonthly journal Printmaking 版画 is estab­lished with Li Hua 李桦 (1907-94), Li Qun (q.v), Zheng Yefu 郑野夫 (1909-73), Lai Shaoqi赖少食 (1915-2000) and Yang Keyang (q.v) as editors. It is published by the Shanghai People’s Fine Arts Publishing House. (It was discontinued in 1961 after a total of 23 issues had been published).

22 October

The 2nd National Prints Exhibition opens at the Wumen gate tower of the Forbidden City in Beijing; a total of 327 prints by 154 artists from 26 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions are exhibited. The exhibition later tours Nanjing, Shanghai, Guiyang, Guangzhou and Xi’an.

1957

21 January

An exhibition of modern Yugoslavian prints opens at the Working People's Cultural Palace in Beijing; 38 artists’ prints are exhibited.

16 March

The National Exhibition of Artworks from Young Art Workers(also called The First Youth ExhibitionofArt) opens in Beijing; 936 works by 845 young artists including 95 prints are exhibited. This exhibition is organized by the Cultural Department, the Central Communist Youth League Committee of China and the Chinese Artists' Association.

28 July

The launch of the Anti-Rightist campaign in the field of Chinese art: Jiang Feng (1910-82), the head of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and other artists including Yan Han (q.v.), in ‘Jiang Feng antiparty group', are labelled as Rightist.

1 August

A memorial art exhibition in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Liberation Army (the first PLA Arts exhibition) opens at Beijing Working People’s Cultural Palace; 98 prints are exhibited among 396 works.

11 August

An exhibition of Japanese ukiyo-e woodcut prints opens at the Shuaifuyuan Gallery in Beijing. This exhibition is organized by the Chinese Artists' Association.

1 October

An exhibition of modern Chinese prints opens at the State Hermitage Museum in Leningrad. Some 157 prints are exhibited, and the show later tours Moscow. The printmakers Li Qun (q.v) and Li Hua accompany Shen Yanbing, Minister of the Ministry of Culture, at the opening.

6 November

The Soviet Print Exhibition opens at the Shuaifuyuan Gallery (the gallery of the Chinese Artists’ Association) in Beijing, celebrating the 40th anniver­sary of the victory of the October Socialist Revolution in the Soviet Union.

1958

16 February

The 3rd National Print Exhibition opens at the Shuaifuyuan Gallery, Beijing, with 302 prints by 206 artists from 22 provinces, municipalities and autono­mous regions. This exhibition later tours Tianjin, Wuhan, Changsha, Wulumuqi (Urumqi), Yili, Nanjing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Kunming, Shenyang, Fuzhou, Changchun, Guangzhou and Nanchang.

22 March

The Chinese Artists’ Association delivers a proposal in the fourth issue of Art, encouraging all members to facilitate the ‘Great Leap Forward'.

1 October

A joint exhibition, The Print Exhibition of Moscow - Beijing, opens in Beijing and Moscow. A forum about this exhibition conducted by the Printmaking Group of the Chinese Artists' Association on 14 November in Beijing, concludes that Chinese printmakers have much to learn from their Soviet brother printmakers.

4 October

An exhibition of the prints of the Belgian artist Frans Masereel opens at the Zhongshan Park in Beijing; 369 works are displayed and Masereel also holds informal discussion with Chinese artists.

26 December

The Exhibition of Fine Arts of the Socialist Countries opens in Moscow, at which art from twelve ‘brother states’ is shown alongside 277 Chinese artworks of which 49 are prints.

1959

August

The International Exhibition of Book Arts is held in Leipzig, Germany. Chinese printmaker Wu Fan’s 吴 凡 (b. 1923) water-soluble colour printed woodblock print Dandelion wins the Gold Medal (see p. x), and Li Pingfan’s 李平凡 (b. 1922) woodblock print We Want Peace the Silver Medal (see p. x).

1 October

The 4th National Print Exhibition opens simultaneously in Beijing and Chongqing, with a total of 291 prints by 199 artists from 20 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. The exhibition is organized by the Chinese Artists’ Association.

1960

28 January

The 2nd Arts Exhibition of the People’s Liberation Army opens at the Wenhua Palace, the Forbidden City in Beijing; 162 prints among 640 works are exhibited. This exhibition is organized by the General Political Department of the PLA.

8 March-3 April

An art exhibition in celebration of the 50th anniversa­ry of International Women’s Day is held in Beijing, organized by the All China Women’s Federation and the Chinese Artists' Association. Some 270 female artists exhibit, with 368 artworks, of which 30 pieces are prints.

17 June-31 July

The National Art Exhibition (The 3rd National Art Exhibition) is held to welcome the 3rd China Literature and Art Delegation Conference and the Second Member Delegation Conference of the Chinese Artists’ Association. Of 906 artworks from 27 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions 264 prints are exhibited.

12 November-2 December

The exhibition Artworks from the Great Northern Wilderness 北大荒美术作品展览会 is held at the Chinese Artists’ Association Gallery, with 30 artists and 202 works including 132 prints. Thanks to this exhibition, the Great Northern Wilderness School of Prints becomes well-known.

1961

January

Organized by the Chinese Artists’ Association, a joint exhibition of prints from Beijing, Guangdong and Sichuan is held at Beijing, Guangzhou and Chongqing.

9 December

Chinese Woodblock Prints 1931-1949 shows at the Shuaifuyuan Gallery in Beijing, with 413 works. This exhibition is organized by the Chinese Artists’ Association.

1962

23 May

The National Arts Exhibition opens at the China National Gallery in Beijing. This exhibition commemorates the 20th anniversary of the publication of Mao Zedong’s talks at the Yan'an Conference on Literature and Art. Some 1133 works are exhibited including 307 prints, produced since 1942.

1963

29 December

The 5th National Print Exhibition opens simultaneously at Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chongqing, with 371 prints by 253 artists, from 26 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions.

1964

15 July

The 3rd Arts Exhibition of the People’s Liberation Army opens at the Chinese National Gallery in Beijing; 263 prints among 658 works are exhibited. This exhibition is organized by the General Political Department of the PLA and the Chinese Artists’ Association.

26 September 1964-July 1965

The Art Exhibition to Celebrate the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China (The 4th National Art Exhibition) is held in four successive parts in the China National Gallery: works from the central-north (26 September 1964); the north-east (19 December 1964); the south-west area (14 March 1965) and the central-south area (13 June 1965). A total of 2,818 works are exhibited, of which 741 are prints. The exhibition then tours Shanghai and Chongqing.

1965

25 April

A national exhibition of amateur art by workers and peasants 全国工农业余美术作品展览会 is held at the China National Gallery in Beijing with 143 prints among 430 works (301 by workers, 129 by peasants) from 25 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions.

18 July

Mao Zedong writes an instruction to Jiang Qing about the issue of using nude models in art academies that had been raised in a letter from Wen Lipeng, Wang Shikuo (q.v.) and Li Huaji of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. The instruction is copied to Lu Dingyi, Kang Sheng, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, Deng Xiaoping and Peng Zhen: ‘Depicting older, younger male or female nude models is an essential skill for creating paintings and sculptures, it is impos­sible without it, it is not right to ban it using a feudal attitude'.

1966

20 January-20 February

An exhibition of 1966 New Year pictures and prints from the central north region, 华北区 1966 年年画版画展览 showing 359 works including 146 prints, opens at the China National Gallery in Beijing, organ­ized by the Chinese Artists’ Association and the CAA's Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolian, and Beijing branches and the cultural section of the Political Department of the People’s Liberation Army in Beijing.

2 February

Instructed by Lin Biao, Jiang Qing calls a forum on literature and art in the armed forces and produces the ‘Summary of the Forum on the Work in Literature and Art in the Armed Forces'. The summary asserts that since the founding of the People's Republic, literary and art circles have been ‘under the dictatorship of the proponents of a sinister anti-Party and anti-socialist line which is diametrically opposed to Chairman Mao’s thought' therefore completely negating the achievement of literature and art since 1949. This summary is approved by central government on 10 April.

6 April

The People’s Daily (the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party) delivers an editorial: Highlighting Politics is Fundamental for All Works- On Highlighting Politics. The second issue of the journal Art discusses the issue of relations between politics and vocational work.

June

The monthly journal Art ceases publication.

16 July

The People’s Daily publishes an article in the name of the Revolutionary Teachers and Students of the Printmaking Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts: ‘Zhou Yang’s “Liberalization” has Poisoned the CAFA’.

Note: Zhou Yang 周扬(1908-89), was the then Deputy Minister of the Propaganda Ministry.

8 August

The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party passes its ‘Decision Concerning the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution’ marking the launch of the Cultural Revolution.

1967

1-25 May

An art exhibition of the Red Guard Painters of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution 无产阶级文化 大革命红画兵画展is held at the shop of the People’s Fine Art Publishing House. This exhibition is organ­ized by the capital workers’ Proletarian Pictorial 无产 者圆刊, Fine Arts Battle Field Report 美术战报, The Revolutionary Revolt Committee of the Capital Publishing Affiliated Organizations 出版系统革命造 反委员会and the Headquarters of the Capital Revolutionary Literature and Art Revolt 首都革命文 艺造反总部.

22 May

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the launch of Mao Zedong’s talks at the Yan'an Conference on Literature and Art, the exhibitions Long Live Mao Zedong’s Thought 毛泽东思想胜利万岁画展 and the Victory of the Proletarian Revolutionary Line 无产阶级革命路线胜利画展 open in the China National Gallery in Beijing. These exhibitions are organized by the Red Guards from more than 90 units, together with groups from the China National Gallery and the Chinese Artists’ Association. The exhibitions run for more than a month.

1 October

An art exhibition Long Live the Victory of Chairman Mao’s Revolutionary Line 毛主席革命路线胜利万岁 opens at the China National Gallery, more than 1,600 works including ink paintings, oil paintings, prints, propaganda posters, clay sculptures and crafts are exhibited. This exhibition later toured many rural areas in the form of a combination of actual work and slides.

1968

1 January

The Exhibition of the Red Sun 红太阳画展 opens in Shanghai, with more than 300 artworks, mostly by workers, peasants, soldiers and red guards. This exhi­bition is organized by 34 revolutionary rebellious organizations and is reported on 3 January, in The People’s Daily.

14 April

A survey, ‘View the Revolution in Art Education from the Growth of ‘Red Guard Painters’, 从‘红画兵’的 成长看美术教育的革命 is published in TheGuangming Daily, in the name of the propaganda team of the capital workers and soldiers in residence at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. The survey reports that, as ordinary labourers, those Red Guard painters who have a proletarian consciousness, and understand the value of art as a propaganda tool are better teachers than the art specialists.

Note: In this year, the China National Gallery as well as most of the country’s art galleries are closed to the public and there are no exhibitions. The China National Gallery is controlled by the Workers' Propaganda Team and all gallery staff implement Mao’s ‘struggle, criticize and transform’ policy.

1969

27 September

All cadres and members of the Chinese Artists' Association are forced to transfer for manual labour in a May 7 Cadre School (五七干校 named after Mao’s May 7 Directive of 1966) and execute Mao’s ‘struggle, criticize and transform’ policy.

1970

9 May

Teachers at the Central Academy of Fine Arts are required to perform manual labour at a farm of the Beijing military force.

June

A Cultural Revolutionary Culture Group of the State Council 国务院文革文化组 is established with Wu De 吴德 as head and Liu Xianquan 刘贤权 as deputy head; he is later replaced by Yu Huiyong 于会泳. This group acts until January 1975 when its name changed to the Ministry of Culture of The P. R. C.

Winter

Based on the Chinese Theatre Arts School, the May 7 Central School of Arts中央五七艺术学校 is estabalished, with Jiang Qing (1914-91) as honorary head.

1972

23 May-23 July

A national art exhibition to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Comrade Mao Zedong’s talks at the Yan'an Conference on Literature and Art is mounted at the China National Gallery in Beijing. Organized by the Cultural Revolutionary Culture Group of the State Council, this exhibition shows 270 artworks including national ink paintings, oil paintings, prints, gouache story-pictures, New Year pictures, propagan­da posters and sculptures. Some 65 per cent of the artworks are by amateur artists including workers, peasants and soldiers.

Note: Because most of the amateurs lacked basic artistic skills, before the exhibition, many of their works are ‘polished’ by a special ‘Amend Picture Group’ comprised of arts experts who often do not have the right to get involved in exhibitions due to their political status.

23 May

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of Comrade Mao Zedong’s talks at the Yan'an Conference on Literature and Art, a fine art and photography exhibi­tion of the People’s Liberation Army is held at the China People’s Revolutionary Military Museum in Beijing. In the fine art section, there are more than 360 artworks including national ink paintings, prints, oil paintings, story-pictures, New Year pictures, prop­aganda posters, paper-cuts, sketches and slides; there is also a photography section. Works are selected from the army across the whole nation.

1973

November

The Central Cultural Revolutionary Cultural Group decides to establish a Central May 7 University of Arts (五七艺术大学), which is based on the May 7 School of Arts, and includes a College of Theatre, College of Music, School of Chinese Opera, School of Film and School of Dance. The Central Academy of Fine Arts changes its name to the Art College of the Central May 7 Art University. Jiang Qing is honorary head of the university and Yu Huiyong is the head.

29 November

An exhibition of Chinese prints opens at the Oriental Museum, Stockholm. Works include traditional woodcut prints, as well as modern prints with new subject matter reflecting the reality and social struggles of the Chinese people. The Chairman of the Oriental Museum Committee, and Wang Luming, the Chinese Ambassador, each give a speech at the opening. The event is reported in The People’s Daily on 1 December.

1974

15 February-5 April

An exhibition of ‘Black Painting’ 黑画展览 opens at the China National Gallery, showing 215 dark-hued and politically incorrect works by 18 artists; these works are mostly ink paintings taken from hotels for welcoming foreigners, works thought to be attacking the Communist Party of China and the socialist system. Works by Yan Han (q.v.), and Huang Yongyu (b. 1924), from the Printmaking Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts are included in the exhibition, which is organized by the Cultural Revolutionary Culture Group of the State Council. The exhibition is later shown in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

1 October-30 November

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establish­ment of the People’s Republic of China, a national art exhibition opens at the National Gallery, showing 430 works, of which 138 are prints. It is organized by the Cultural Revolutionary Culture Group of The State Council. About 60 per cent of the exhibits have been produced by amateurs, including workers, peasants and soldiers.

1 October

An exhibition of the artwork of workers from Shanghai, Yangquan and Luda 上海, 阳泉, 旅大工人 画展览is held at the China National Gallery, exhibit­ing 172 works, of which 74 are prints. Wen Meizan’s article ‘Great Art, Time’s Song - Comments on the Art Exhibition of Workers from Shanghai, Yangquan and Luda’ reported in The People’s Daily on 18 November.

November

A joint exhibition of prints from Chongqing and Luda is held in Chongqing and then Dalian.

1975

1 October

A national exhibition of New Year pictures and chil­dren's artworks 全国年画, 少年儿童美术展览 opens at the China National Gallery in Beijing. This exhibition shows 261 New Year pictures and 472 children’s works. The exhibition runs for two months. Zhang Huanzhen and Xu Shiming’s article about the exhibition, ‘The New Harvest of the Creation of the New Year Pictures’ is reported in The People’s Daily on 11 November.

1976

28 January

A joint print exhibition from Sichuan, Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces is held simultaneously in Chengdu, Guangzhou and Hangzhou, the capital cities of the three provinces.

25 March

After ceasing publication for ten years, the monthly journal Art resumes publication in Beijing, temporari­ly publishing bimonthly.

9 September

Chairman Mao Zedong (1893-1976) dies; the fourth issue of Art publishes articles on cherishing the mem­ory of Mao Zedong and artworks on subjects extol­ling Mao.

23 November

An art exhibition expressing warm congratulations to Comrade Hua Guofeng who holds the position of Chairman of China Central Government and China Central Military Committee; Warm congratulations to Great Victory in crushing the conspiracy of the Gang of Four’s attempt at usurping the Supreme Party lead­ership and state power 热烈庆祝华国锋同志任中共中 央主席,中央军委主席;热烈庆祝粉碎’四人帮,篡党夺权的阴谋的伟大胜利美术作品展览 opensat Shanghai Art Museum, with 240 artworks exhibited. It is organ­ized by the Shanghai Art Creation Institute.

1977

18 February

A national art exhibition expressing warm congratula­tions to Comrade Hua Guofeng who holds the posi­tion of Chairman of China Central Government and China Central Military Committee; Warm congratu­lations to Great Victory in crushing the conspiracy of the Gang of Four’s attempt at usurping the Supreme Party leadership and state power opens at the China National Gallery in Beijing. The exhibition runs for two months and 695 works are shown. It is organized by the Ministry of Culture of the P. R. C.

23 May

An art exhibition to commemorate the 35th anniver­sary of Mao Zedong’s talks at the Yan'an Conference on Literature and Art opens at the China National Gallery, exhibiting 745 works, of which 202 are prints, created since the publication of Mao’s Yan’an talks. The exhibition is organized by the Ministry of Culture of the P. R. C.

September

The Ministry of Culture announces the decision to disband the organizational system of the 'May 7 University of Arts’ and restores the original names of six institutes including the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

12 October

The State Council announces the restoration of the examination system for higher education and ends the 11 years ‘recommended systems' for entrance to high­er education.

December

An exhibition of prints from the Great Northern Wilderness 北大仓, 版画展览 opens at Harbin, showing 113 prints by workers at the state-run farm.

1978

May

The China Literature and Arts Federation returns to normal and branch organizations of literature and art are established in succession.

1 October

An exhibition of prints from Fujian, Anhui and Jiangxi provinces opens simultaneously in the cities of Fuzhou, Wuhu and Nanchang.

1-9 November

A printmaking forum of Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai and Xinjiang Five Provinces (regions) is held in Wulumuqi, the capital of Xinjiang Uigur Autonomous Region. Over 100 printmakers from the five regions attend this forum.

18-22 December

The Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of Communist Party of China opens. The Committee decides to shift the focus of the Party’s work to socialist modernization and to set a policy of reform and opening up to the outside world.

1979

1 January

A joint exhibition of prints from Sichuan, Heilongjiang and Jiangsu provinces simultaneously opens at Chengdu, Harbin and Nanjing, the capital cities of the three provinces. Some 150 works are exhibited, with each province displaying 50 prints.

15 February

The May Printmaking Group 五月版画会, an unofficial organization, is established in Beijing, with Guang Jun (q.v) and Wang Zhong 王仲 (b. 1944) as the main organizers.

8 March

The Chinese Artists’ Association returns to normal, and at its conference the committee announces the removal of all ‘labels' applied to artists such as ‘capitalist-roader', 'counterrevolutionary revisionist’, ‘black artist' and 'counterrevolutionary academic authority’ and so forth. The committee also decides to rehabili­tate the political reputation of the so-called 'Jiang Feng Anti-Party Group'.

18 March

Founded by a group of middle-aged and young printmakers in Beijing and Tianjin, an unofficial group, the ‘Jincao (vigorous grass) Woodcut Study Group 劲草木刻研究会’ is established in Tianjin and pub­lishes the Jincao Woodcut series 劲草木刻丛刊with the Tianjin Fine Arts Publishing House.

March

Art becomes once again a monthly journal.

7 November

After being discontinued for 16 years, the National Prints Exhibition (the 6th) is held at the China National Gallery: 387 prints from 29 provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions and the People’s Liberation Armies are exhibited.

1980

12 February-9 March

An art exhibition for the 30th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China 庆祝中华 人民共和国成立三十周年全国美术作品展览 (The 5th National Art Exhibition) opens at the China National Gallery, with 79 prints among 417 works exhibited.

19 April

The Chinese Printmakers' Association is founded at the printmakers conference in Huangshan, Anhui Province, with 60 printmaker representatives from all parts of China attending the conference. Jiang Feng is elected honorary chairman of the CPA and Li Hua the chairman.

Note: This unofficial organization acted as an official institute until after 2000, together with many other unofficial organizations; it was announced as an ille­gal organization after Falun Gong was banned.

12 June

An exhibition of Jiangsu shuiyin woodcuts opens at the China National Gallery, organized by the Chinese Artists’ Association and the Jiangsu Branch of the CAA. More than 50 prints are exhibited.

19 June

An unofficial group, Zhejiang Provincial Printmakers Society, is established in Hangzhou, with Lin Kanghua 林康华 as the honorary general secretary and the general secretary Zhao Yannian (q.v.), Zhao Zongzao (q.v.), Zhang Huaijiang (q.v.) and others. The same day an exhibition of 50 years of prints in Zhejiang province opens at the Cultural Conference Hall in Hangzhou.

July

An unofficial group, Ningxia Helanshan Printmakers’ Society 宁夏贺兰山版画会, whose name changed in 1990 to the Ningxia Printmaker’s Association, is founded in Yinchuan as are the Yinchuan and the Shizui Branches.

August

The first issue of the quarterly journal The Art of Printmaking 版画艺术 appears, with Yang Keyang (q.v.) as the chief editor and Lu Zongduo 陆宗铎 (1932-99) as editor, published by the Shanghai People’s Fine Arts Publishing House. It runs until the early 1990s, when it collapses due to financial pressure.

5 August

Heilongjiang Printmakers’ Society 黑龙江版画会 is founded at the Farmer’s Land Bureau in Jiamusi, Heilongjiang province and is based in Harbin. Chao Mei (q.v.) is elected director.

28 August

Gansu Printmakers’ Society is 甘肃版画家协会 established at Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province, with Xiao Gang 晓岗 (b. 1934) as director.

October

Qinghai Xihai Printmakers’ Society 青海西海版圆会 announces its establishment in Xining, the capital of Qinghai province, with Li Guo 里果 (b. 1934) as the head of the society.

25 October

A print exhibition of the People’s Liberation Army is held at the People’s Revolutionary Military Museum in Beijing. Organized by the Cultural Department of the General Political Department of the PLA, the show tours 14 regions in succession.

December

Qingdao Printmakers’ Society 青岛版画会 is estab­lished in Qingdao, Shandong province and the first prints exhibition in Qingdao opens at the same time in Qingdao.

20 December

The 2nd National Exhibition of Youth Art 第二届全 国青年美展 is held at the China National Gallery in Beijing, with 543 artworks including 116 prints by 575 young artists exhibited. Luo Zhongli’s 罗中立 oil painting Father and Wang Gongyi’s (q.v.) woodcut series Qiujin (cat. Nos. 52-58) [EA2007.56.a-.g] win Gold Medals.

1981

16 January

Chaoshan Printmakers' Society 潮汕版画会 is estab­lished in Shantou, Guangdong province.

19 January

The Jiangxi Print Research Society 江西版画研究会 is established in Yichun.

23 January

Huadi Print Research Society 花地版画研究会 is established at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

29 January

Suzhou Print Research Society 苏州市版画艺术研 究会 announces its establishment in Suzhou, Jiangsu province.

5 March

The exhibition 50 Years of Chinese Woodblock Prints opens at the House of Culture, Grenoble, France. Jiang Feng, Gu Yuan 古兀 (1919-96) and Wang Qi (q.v.) attend the opening. The exhibition shows 269 prints by 137 printmakers. The exhibition later tours to the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris.

10 June

Changchun Printmakers' Society 长春版画会 is founded in Changchun and the first prints exhibition of the CPS opens in Changchun.

15 June

Gansu Printmakers’ Association 甘肃版画家协会 is established in Lanzhou, Gansu province.

July

Shenyang Prints Study Society 沈阳版画研究会 is established in Shenyang, Liaoning province.

25 September

The 7th National Prints Exhibition opens simultane­ously at the China National Gallery in Beijing and the Sichuan Provincial Exhibition Hall in Chengdu, with 354 prints by 370 artists exhibited. The exhibi­tion later goes to Shanghai and Guangzhou. Organized by the Chinese Artists’ Association and the Chinese Printmakers’ Association, the exhibition coincides with commemorating the 100th anniversary of Lu Xun's birth and 50 years of the New Woodcut Movement.

8 November

An exhibition of expressionist prints from West Germany is held at the China National Gallery in Beijing.

12 November

The exhibition 50 Years of Chinese Creative Prints 中国新兴版画五十年 is held at the gallery of the Joint Publishing Company in Hong Kong. This exhi­bition is organized by the Chinese Printmakers’ Association, Shanghai People’s Fine Arts Publishing House, and the Readers’ Centre of the Joint Publishing Company in Hong Kong.

14 December

The first National Exhibition of Intaglio, Lithography and Screen Printing (or A National Exhibition of Three Printmaking Techniques 首届全国三版展览) is held at the gallery of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. The exhibition is in accordance with Li Hua's suggestion to promote the three printmaking techniques in China, and it tours Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Nanning, Xi’an, Chongqing, Shenyang, Changchun and Jinan in 1982 and 1983.

1982

1 January

The first National Arts Exhibition of Ethnic Minorities 首届全国少数民族美术作品展览 is held at the Cultural Palace of the Nationalities in Beijing. Some 379 works by artists from 55 ethnic minority groups are exhibited, including 61 prints by 47 minority printmakers. The exhibition is organized by the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, the Ministry of Culture and the Chinese Artists’ Association.

15 January

An exhibition of modern Chinese prints is held at the Museum of Modern Art Kamakura & Hayama in Japan. The exhibition shows 206 prints presented by the Chinese Printmakers' Association. A delegation of Chinese printmakers, headed by Yan Han (q.v.), attend the opening.

May

Dalu Printmakers’ Society 大路版画会 (whose name changed to China Dalu Printmakers' Society in 1985), an unofficial group, is founded in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province. Most members are originally from the Railway Corps.

May

Jixi Printmakers’ Society 鸡西市版画研究会 is established in Jixi, Heilongjiang province.

November

Xiaobaihua (Little Birch) Woodcut Research Group 小白桦木刻研充会 is founded in Daxing'anling, Heilongjiang province.

November

A joint exhibition of prints from Inner Mongolia, Yunnan, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai and Xinjiang is held simultaneously at Kunming, Huhehaote (Hohhot) and Xining. In December, the exhibition tours Yinchuan, Lanzhou and Wulumuqi. This exhibi­tion shows 211 prints by 189 artists from six ethnic minority groups and Han, and it tours the Cultural Palace of the Nationalities in Beijing in April 1983.

6 December

Tanggu Printmaking Research Group 塘沽版画研究会 is founded in Tanggu, Hebei province.

1983

10 January

The First National Joint Exhibition of Prints from the Art Academies 首届全国美院版画联展 is held at the Gallery of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. This exhibition comprises 240 prints from ten art academies. A two-day forum is held and this exhibition later tours the art academies.

February

The 1st issue of World of Printmaking 版画世界 is published by the People’s Fine Arts Publishing House in Beijing, with Li Pingfan (b. 1922) as chief editor.

2 April

Jinan Printmaking Research Group 济南版画研究会 is established in Jinan, Shandong province.

12 April

Liaoning Printmaking Research Society 辽宁省版画学会 is established in Shenyang.

May

The 1982 Yearbook of Chinese Prints  中国版画年鉴 1982 is published by the Liaoning Fine Arts Publishing House in Shenyang.

Note: The Yearbook of Chinese Prints discontinued publishing in the early 1990s but resumed in 2005.

20 July

The Hefei section of the 8th National Prints Exhibition is held at the Anhui Provincial Museum in Hefei. The Beijing section (China National Gallery) and Guiyang section (Guizhou Scientific and Cultural Hall) open on 26 July, with 469 prints from 29 prov­inces, municipalities, autonomous regions and the People’s Liberation Army exhibited. This exhibition is organized by the Chinese Artists’ Association and the Chinese Printmakers' Association.

15 November

A national exhibition of amateurs’ prints by oil work­ers 全国石油职工业余版画展览 is held in the China National Gallery in Beijing. This exhibition shows 225 woodcuts by amateur printmakers from 21 oil enterprises.

1984

2 April

The China Printmaking Bookplate (Ex Libris) Society 中国版画藏书票研究会 is founded in Beijing, with Li Hua as Honorary Advisor, Li Pingfan as advisor and Liang Dong 梁栋 as Director. It is an unoffi­cial society, and is based at the Printmaking Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

23 August

Qijiang County Farmers’ Prints Society 綦江县农民 版画研究会 is established in Qijiang County, Sichuan province.

29 September-31 October

The 6th National Art Exhibition is divided into nine parts according to medium and simultaneously opens at nine cities. Some 3,724 works are exhibited with 228 winning prizes; 450 prints are exhibited at the Sichuan Provincial Exhibition Hall in Chengdu. At the end of the year, an exhibition of prize-winning works and a specially invited exhibition of artworks from Hong Kong and Macao is held in Beijing.

1985

20 March

Hunan Printmaking Research Society 湖南版画艺术 研究会 is founded in Changsha.

4 April

Qidong Printmaking Institute 启东版画院 is estab­lished in Qidong county in Jiangsu.

13 April

Xinjiang Printmaking Research Society 新疆版画研究会 is founded in Wulumuqi in Xinjiang Autonomous Region.

20 April

Shanghai Printmakers' Society 上海版画会 is found­ed in Shanghai.

10 May-26 May

An art exhibition of works by Improving Chinese Youth 前进中的中国青年美术作品展览 opens in Beijing, of the 600 works exhibited, 137 are prints. This exhibition accelerates the development of the 1985 New Wave Art Movement.

29 May

The second National Exhibition of Intaglio, Lithography and Screen Printing opens in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Museum in Nanning.

14 October

The Printmaking Council 版画艺术委员会 is established as a subordinate institute of the Chinese Artists’ Association, as well as the sole official organi­zation for Chinese printmaking. Yan Han (q.v) is selected as head of the council.

27 December

An exhibition of modern Chinese prints 中国现代木 刻版画展 opens in Hong Kong. Li Hua and Wang Qi (q.v.) are invited for the opening. This exhibition is organized by the Hong Kong Arts Centre and the Hong Kong Institute for Promotion of Chinese Culture.

1986

January

Zhangshu Printmakers’ Society 樟树版画会is founded in Zhangshu, Jiangxi province.

28 January

Henan Printmakers' Society 河南版画学会 is found­ed in Zhengzhou.

5 July

The exhibition Prints from the China National Gallery Collection opens at the China National Gallery, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Lu Xun's death, with 213 prints created between 1931 and 1986 on show.

25 September

Nanjing Printmaking Research Society 南京版画研究 会 is founded in Nanjing.

8 October

The 9th National Prints Exhibition is held at the Heilongjiang Provincial Gallery in Harbin; on 13 October at the Anhui Museum in Hefei; and on 18 October at the China National Gallery in Beijing. The exhibition shows 396 prints with 88 prize-winning prints. Artists are from 28 provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions and the People’s Liberation Army. It is organized by the Chinese Artists’ Association and the Chinese Printmakers' Association.

Note: artists submit three copies of each print for the three venues.

1987

5 May

An international exhibition of prints opens at the gal­lery of the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts. As the main part of the Second West Lake Prints Festival, the exhibition shows 158 prints of which 31 prints are by 12 artists from Britain, France, America, Canada and Japan.

6 November

The Third National Exhibition of Intaglio, Lithography and Screen Printing is held at the gallery of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, with more than 200 prints exhibited.

15 December

An exhibition of modern Chinese prints opens at Fung Ping Shan Museum in Hong Kong. 100 prints are exhibited.

1988

10-21 August

A Print Symposium to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the Printmaking of the Great Northern Wilderness 北大荒版画三十周年学术研讨 is held in Harbin and Jiamusi. Critics and well-known printmakers from different parts of China are invited. The exhibition Prints from the Great Northern Wilderness is held in the Heilongjiang Provincial Gallery. A catalogue of the exhibition and a selected thesis relating to the symposium are pub­lished by the Heilongjiang People’s Fine Arts Publishing House.

15 October

Xu Bing (q.v.) exhibits his Book from the Sky 天书 installation at the China National Gallery in Beijing.

1989

20 May-13 August

The 7th National Art Exhibition is held to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. It opens simultaneously in nine regions, divided according to various media. Some 3,300 works are exhibited and prints are shown in Kunming, Yunnan province. An exhibition of 299 prize-winning works is held in the China National Gallery in Beijing in October.

4 June

The massacre on Tian'anmen Square puts an end to the student movement for democracy.

29 November-2 December

The editorial department of The World of Printmaking calls a Conference of National Printmaking Groups 全国版画群体会议 in Yichun, Jiangxi province; more than 100 printmakers (mostly amateur printmakers) attend this conference.

1990

17 March

The National Youth Exhibition of Prints 全国青年版 画大展 opens in the Shanghai Art Museum, with 214 works of which 61 won prizes. This exhibition is organized by the Printmaking Council of the Chinese Artists' Association, the Chinese Printmakers’ Association and the Chinese Artists' Association, Shanghai Branch.

15 November

The 10th National Prints Exhibition is held in Hangzhou and tours Wuhan, Beijing and Qingdao. Of the 384 prints exhibited 69 win prizes. The artists are from 32 provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions and the People’s Liberation Army. The show is organized by the Chinese Artists’ Association and the Chinese Printmakers' Association.

14-16 December

Eleven shuiyin print exhibitions are held at the Jiangsu Provincial Shuiyin Prints Festival 江苏省水印 版画艺术节in Nanjing; during the festival, the Printmaking Council of the Chinese Artists' Association offers Jiangsu printmakers an award for their contribution to printmaking. A conference is held to discuss the development and techniques of shuiyin prints; more than 60 nationally acclaimed printmakers and critics are invited to join the festival.

1991

24 April

Beijing -Taipei: An Exhibition of Contemporary Prints 北京-台北当代版画展 opens at the gallery of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. The exhibition shows around 300 prints by more than 100 printmakers, of whom 15 artists from Beijing and seven from Taipei win a prize for outstanding work.

30 April

The fourth National Exhibition of Intaglio, Lithography and Screen Printing is held at the Exhibition Hall of the Nanjing College of Art in Nanjing; 239 prints are exhibited.

10 August

A print exhibition for the 60th anniversary of the New Woodcut Movement opens at the Shanghai Art Museum, organized by the Shanghai Lu Xun Museum, Shanghai Printmakers’ Society and the Shanghai Art Museum.

24 September

A print exhibition for the 60th anniversary of the Chinese New Woodcut Movement opens at the gal­lery of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, with 261 prints by more than 260 artists. This exhibition is part of a series of activities for the 110th anniversary of the birth of Lu Xun and the 60th anniversary of the Chinese New Woodcut Movement. It is organized by the Chinese Artists’ Association and the Chinese Printmakers' Association.

26 September

A ceremony is held in the Great Hall of People in Beijing to commend printmakers who were active during the 1930-40s New Woodcut Movement. Some 15 printmakers receive the ‘Award for Outstanding Contribution to the New Woodcut Movement', 28 receive the ‘Award for Contribution to the New Woodcut Movement' and the ‘Award to Commemorate the New Woodcut Movement'.

December

The China Industrial Printmaking Institute 中国工业 版画院 is established in Wuhan, Hubei province, with Song Enhou 宋恩厚  (b. 1936) as Director. To coincide with the institute’s establishment, the 2nd National Exhibition of Industrial Prints opens at the Wuhan Museum.

1992

28 February

Jiangsu Printmaking Institute 江苏版画院 is founded in Nanjing and the First Print Exhibition of the Jiangsu Printmaking Institute is held in the Jiangsu Provincial Gallery.

15 April

Chao Mei’s Art of Print Exhibition Hall 晁楣版画艺术陈列馆 is completed in Chao Mei’s home city, Heze, Shandong province.

23 May-5 June

A national art exhibition to commemorate the 50 years of Mao Zedong’s talks at the Yan'an Conference of Literature and Art 纪念毛泽东同志《在延安文艺 座谈会上的讲话》发表 50 周年全国美术作品展览 is held in the China National Gallery in Beijing. Of the 329 works selected, one receives the Gold Medal, 7 Silver Medals and 22 Bronze.

23 May

Shenzhou Prints Museum 神州版画博物馆, the first print museum in China, is established in Chengdu, Sichuan province.

3 September

The 11th National Prints Exhibition is held in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, with 376 prints exhibited. It is organized by the Chinese Artists' Association and the Chinese Printmakers’ Association. Later this show tours Beijing and Shenzhen.

1993

24 April

The first issue of half-yearly journal Chinese Printmaking 中国版画 is published at the People’s Fine Arts Publishing House in Beijing. Chinese Printmaking is based on the World of Printmaking, which has ceased publication.

10 May

The Exhibition of National Prints Types 中国版画版 种大展 and the fifth National Exhibition of Intaglio, Lithography and Screen Printing opens at the Xi'an Museum of Art. Some 333 works are exhibited.

10 November

The 3rd National Exhibition of Industrial Prints is held in the Gallery of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.

1994

October

The International Printmaking Research Institute is established at the North-East Normal University in Changchun, with Qi Fengge 齐凤阁 as the head of the Institute.

The 12th National Print Exhibition is held at the Shenzhen Museum of Art in Guangdong province, with 356 prints exhibited. A catalogue of the exhibi­tion is published. The exhibition is organized by the Chinese Artists' Association and the Chinese Printmakers' Association.

27 November

Zhang Minjie’s (q.v.) woodcut print ‘Dancing on the Plain No. 2’ wins the Gold Medal at Osaka Triennial 1994, the 5th international contemporary art competition in Osaka, Japan.

27 December-8 January

An Exhibition of the best works from the 8th National Art Exhibition is held at the China National Gallery in Beijing. 498 works including 126 awarded works are selected from more than 4,000 works of the 8th National Art Exhibition, which is held in autumn in all provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions of China. Prize-winners are selected by the local Artists’ Associations and this exhibition is organ­ized by the Ministry of Culture and the Chinese Artists' Association in co-operation with local Artists’ Associations.

1995

9-14 May

An exchange exhibition of prints between mainland China and Taiwan 海峡两岸版画交流展 is held at the China National Gallery in Beijing. This exhibition is organized by the International Centre of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and Amoeba Design Association in Taiwan, in association with the Chinese Printmakers' Association.

20-26 June

An exhibition of modern Swedish prints is held in the China National Gallery in Beijing.

1996

17 May

The Lu Xun Printmaking Prize award ceremony is held at the gallery of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing: outstanding printmakers who were active in the 1950s and 1960s are awarded the Lu Xun Printmaking Prize.

26 October

The 13th National Prints Exhibition is held at the Jiangsu Provincial Gallery in Nanjing: 392 prints are exhibited and a catalogue of the exhibition is pub­lished by the Nanjing University Publishing House. The exhibition is organized by the Chinese Artists' Association, the Chinese Printmakers' Association and the Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Department.

1997

October

The Muban Foundation, based in London, launches the project of compiling portfolios of modern Chinese woodblock prints. About 50 prominent art­ists are invited and each is invited to produce a print in 155 copies; ten more artists are added later. This project is completed in 2003.

15 November

The sixth National Exhibition of Intaglio, Lithography and Screen Printing opens at the gallery of the Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts. A total of 184 works are exhibited, and a forum of the three techniques is held in the Xiangshan Hotel in Beijing.

1998

15 October

The 14th National Prints Exhibition is held at the Sichuan Provincial Gallery in Chengdu: 382 prints are exhibited and an exhibition catalogue is published by the Guangxi Art Publishing House in Nanning. The exhibition tours Yanhuang Gallery in Beijing a month later. It is organized by the Chinese Artists’ Association and the Chinese Printmakers’ Association.

1999

11 November

The Chinese Printmakers' Association makes awards to prominent printmakers of the 1980s to the 1990s. An exhibition of prints by outstanding printmakers from the 1980s-1990s is mounted in Qingdao. A catalogue of the exhibition and a collections of essays, Prints in my Heart 我心中的版画' are published by the China Encyclopaedia Publishing House in Beijing.

1 October

The 9th National Art Exhibition is divided into eight parts according to the various media, and opens in eight cities at the same time. A total of 3,500 works are exhibited; among them, 406 prints at the Inner Mongolian Gallery in Hohhot. From 6 to 24 December, more than 600 prize-winning works including judges' works forms the exhibition Prize- winning Work from the 9th National Exhibition, which is exhibited in two parts at the China National Gallery and the Chinese Painting Research Institute Gallery in Beijing.

2000

27 January

The 6th National Industry Prints Exhibition 第六届中国工业版画展 is held in the Gallery of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, with 181 prints exhibited.

5 September

Qingdao International Biennial Exhibition of Prints opens at the Qingdao Museum of Art in Qingdao, Shandong province, with 560 works from 36 countries and areas exhibited. The exhibition is organized by the Qingdao City Government, Chinese Printmakers’ Association and China Exhibition Exchange Centre.

Note: This exhibition was planned to be a biennial exhibition, but in fact it was held only once.

13 October-5 November

The 15th National Prints Exhibition is held at the Guangdong Gallery in Guangzhou: 303 prints are selected from 890 works, three winning Gold Medals, eight Silver Medals and 28 Bronze Medals. It is organized by the Chinese Artists’ Association and the Chinese Printmakers’ Association. An exhibition catalogue is published by the Macao Publishing House in Macao.

5 November

1900-2000: A Hundred Years of Chinese Prints opens in Chongqing as part of the Chongqing prints festi­val. A catalogue of the exhibition is published by theLingnan Fine Arts Publishing House; a collection of commemorative theses of 100 years of Chinese prints 百年中国版画纪念文集 is published by the North-East University Publishing House and the collection Documents of the 20th Century Chinese Prints 二十世纪中国版画文献 is published by the People’s Fine Arts Publishing House.

2001

26 March-22 April

A print exhibition from Jiangsu Province, Heilongjiang Province and Hong Kong is held at the Gallery of the City University of Hong Kong. Works by 23 artists from Jiangsu, 22 from Heilongjiang and 31 from Hong Kong are exhibited. This exhibition coincides with Liao Shaozhen’s 廖少珍 (b. 1952) project of combining printmaking among the three areas.

November

The seventh National Exhibition of Intaglio, Lithography and Screen Printing is held in Wuhan. A catalogue of the exhibition is published by the Hubei Art Publishing House in 2003.

2002

7 December-7 January 2003

Beauty through Silk Screen 透过丝网的美丽 An Exhibition of Original Prints by Contemporary Artists is held at the Today Art Gallery in Beijing. This exhibition is the result of more than 20 artists co-operating with the newly established printmaking workshop, Xinzi Tang 新梓堂. Most artists are well-known for their oil paintings and include Yang Feiyun 杨飞云,   Xia Junna 夏俊娜 and Yue Minjun 岳敏君.

12-22 November

The 16th National Prints Exhibition is held at the Anhui International Exhibition and Conference Centre in Hefei. More than 400 prints are selected for the exhibition, with four awarded Gold Medals. A catalogue of the exhibition is published by the Anhui Fine Arts Publishing House. This exhibition is organized by the Chinese Artists’ Association, the Anhui Provincial Literature and Arts Federation and the Anhui Provincial Artists’ Association. The exhibition coincides with the 60th anniversary of the publication of Mao Zedong’s talks at the Yan'an Conference of Literature and Art.

2003

14 November

The editors of Chinese Printmaking and editors of Printmaking Today (a quarterly journal based in London) have a meeting in the British Library: the two journals reach an agreement about information exchange.

15 November

The eighth National Exhibition of Intaglio, Lithography and Screen Printing is held at the Chongqing Museum of Art, with 236 works exhibited. This exhibition is organized by the Printmaking Council of the Chinese Artists' Association and the Chongqing Artists' Association, in association with the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts. A catalogue of the exhibition is published in 2004 by the Chongqing Publishing House.

November

An auction of modern Chinese prints is held by the Guardian Auction House in Guangzhou: 245 prints by 66 artists are auctioned and 55 per cent are sold. For the first time, modern Chinese prints formally enter the art market.

7 November-19 March 2004

Chinese Printmaking Today: Woodblock Printing in China, 1980-2000 is held at the British Library. This exhibition is organized by the British Library in asso­ciation with the Muban Foundation in London. To accompany the exhibition, a catalogue is compiled by Anne Farrer, published by the British Library.

2004

19 August-8 January 2005

The 10th National Art Exhibition divides into ten parts according to media and opens in nine regions with a total of 3,100 works exhibited; 381 prints are shown at the Sichuan Provincial Exhibition Hall in Chengdu from 13 September to 9 October, and 46 prints win prizes. An exhibition of 597 prize-winning works from the nine regions of the 10th National Exhibition is held in Beijing from 10 December to 8 January 2005.

October

The 2004 Annual National Printmaking Conference of Art Academies is held at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. An annual exhibition is shown at the same time. A catalogue of the exhibition and a collection of conference papers are published.

2005

28 April

Selected Woodcut New Year Pictures from Yangliuqing of Tianjin 天津杨柳青木版年画精品展 is held in the China National Gallery in Beijing. This exhibition shows 168 New Year pictures and 30 sets of antique woodblocks, as well as sketches, album leaves, and relevant items from the Ming dynasty to the Republic.

May

A retrospective exhibition of Chinese screen printing 中国丝网版画回顾展 is shown at the gallery of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in Guangzhou. An exhibition catalogue is published by the Lingnan Fine Arts Publishing House in Guangzhou.

June

The 2002 Yearbook of Chinese Prints is published by the Haitian Publishing House in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. The Year Book is edited by the Shenzhen Arts Institute.

1-20 July

Mountain beyond Mountain - An Exhibition of Prints by Middle-Aged and Young Students Returned from Abroad. 山外山-中外中青年版画留学生作品展 shows 50 prints by 13 printmakers who have studied abroad in recent years. The exhibition opens at the Guan Shanyue Art Museum in Shenzhen and later tours northern and southern cities.

18 November-8 December

The 17th National Prints Exhibition is held at the Guiyang Gallery in Guangzhou province, with 376 prints selected from 1,068 works for the exhibition. Four prints win Gold Medals, seven Silver Medals, 17 Bronze Medals, and 30 other prizes. Prints by the judges (15) are also exhibited, as are works by artists from Taiwan, Macao and Hong Kong. The exhibition is organized by the Printmaking Council of the Chinese Artists' Association, the Guizhou Provincial Propaganda Department, the Guizhou Provincial Cultural Department, the Guizhou Provincial Literature and Art Federation and the Guiyang Provincial Gallery, with support from the Guizhou Mobile Communication Company. A catalogue of the exhibition is published by the Guizhou People’s Publishing House in December.

1-31 December

Transform Old into New: Aim for the Limits of Technique and Innovation 化旧翻新穷工极变, an exhibition of traditional Chinese prints is held in the Rare Books Department of the China National Library in Beijing. This exhibition is organized by the National Library and the Printmaking Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

2006

August

Completion of the Yan Han Museum in Yan Han’s (q.v.) birthplace of Lianyungang, Jiangsu province. The museum opens to the public.

23 August-12 September

Visual Swing-The Second National Contemporary Nominees Exhibition of Young Printmakers 视觉漂变 -第二届当代中国青年版画家提名展 is held at the Guan Shanyue Art Museum. The ten invited young artists come from art academies in six different regions.

1 September-7 October

The print exhibition A Lighter Reality 轻轻的现实 is held at the Beijing Art Now Gallery: the 16 exhibited artists include Fang Lijun 方力均 (b. 1965), Zhang Xiaogang 张晓刚  (b. 1958), and Wang Guangyi 王广 义 (b. 1957).

19 September

The Chao Mei Gallery 晁楣艺术馆 opens in the Jin Shangjing Museum 金上京博物馆 in Acheng, Harbin. Chao Mei (q.v.) donates to the gallery 80 prints pro­duced in different periods. The 500-square-metres gallery is built by the Harbin city government and the Acheng District Council.

25 September

An exhibition of bookplates for the 75th anniversary of the Chinese New Woodcut Movement and the 70th anniversary of the Death of Lu Xun 纪念中国 新兴版画 75 周年暨鲁迅逝世70周年藏书票展 opens at the Shanghai Lu Xun Museum. Over 500 bookplates by 200 artists from across China and abroad are exhi