Zhongguo meishubao

[Fine Arts in China 1985–9]

Art journal

Fine Arts in China was China’s sole weekly art publication in the 1980s and provided a both broader and faster coverage of events than its competitors. It was a particularly stimulating source of news for the up-and-coming artists of the New Wave Art Movement. Established in July 1985, it was a publication of the Fine Art Department of the Chinese Art Research Institute (Zhongguo yishu yanjiuyuan meishu yanjiusuo) and was therefore able to put together a superb talent pool. Zhang Qiang was its director, and Liu Xiaochun, its chief editor. The deputy editors Yang Gengxi, Zhang Zuying and Zhai Mo were joined by Shui Tianzhong in 1987. In editorial direction it sought tolerance towards contending academic viewpoints to allow for intellectual exploration and dialogue.

The editorial board emphasized collective expertise, but also tried to maintain a different approach in each issue, which was edited by a different critic each week. Both the issue editor and its sub-editors were granted a high degree of autonomy. Among its numerous members, the editorial team included: Li Xianting, Chen Weihe, Tao Yongbai, Liao Wen, Xu Wencun and Ding Fang. A lively publication, it carried reports on current trends and exhibitions, including topics such as environmental art and architectural culture. It was also a forum for theoretical debate on issues such as the future of Chinese painting and postmodernism in China. Reports on the art world’s involvement in the student movement of 1989 resulted in the journal being shut down at the end of the year.

Further reading

Galikowski, Maria (1998). Art and Politics in China, 1949–1984. Hong Kong: Chinese University Press, 187–98.

EDUARDO WELSH