2004. Wang Qingsong, Beijing, China.`
In this photograph, Wang Qingsong aimed to focus on the Cultural Revolution in China. Qingsong recreated his memories of the walls of China’s cities that were “covered with handmade posters pasted up by rival Red Guard factions”(Paris Review). Using his previous skills as a painter, Qingsong rented a Beijing movie sound stage and hand drew his own mimics of these posters. He worked in the manner of a film director, staging this model on a real stage. The use of a real stage is powerful, making the walls feel so big, and the people feel so small. This relates to how the Revolution felt to the people of China. The Revolution ultimately damaged China’s economy and as many as 2 million people died. This image represents how small the citizens felt during the Revolution and how they felt drowned by the news.
Qingsong, Wang. “Competition.” The Paris Review, 26 May 2011, www.theparisreview.org/blog/2011/02/04/competition/.
“Wang Qingsong: When Worlds Collide.” International Center of Photography, 23 Feb. 2016, www.icp.org/exhibitions/wang-qingsong-when-worlds-collide.
“The Cultural Revolution: All You Need to Know about China’s Political Convulsion.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 11 May 2016, www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/11/the-cultural-revolution-50-years-on-all-you-need-to-know-about-chinas-political-convulsion.