Oil paintings, traditional Chinese ink paintings and
calligraphic works have been the most sought-after items for art
collectors in China for a long time.
But collectors "have long ignored an untapped gold mine the
vintage photos, particularly those of a documentary nature about
social changes in modern China," said Gan Xuejun, general manager
of Beijing Huachen Auctions, China's first auction house to present
a special auction for at least 130 vintage photos from some of the
best known Chinese photographers on November 23 at the Peninsula
Beijing Hotel.
One of the most eye-catching lots is veteran artist and
photographer Weng Naiqiang's vintage colour photo "Playing Back,"
capturing an unforgettable moment in modern Chinese history. It
pictures a summer day in 1966 when late Chinese leader Mao Zedong
stood at the Tian'anmen Rostrum waving the cap in his right hand to
millions of Red Guards gathered in the Tian'anmen Square. Each of
the young men and women were holding a little red book, containing
the collection of Mao's most well known quotations.
With carefully designed composition, the photographer created
such an illusion that Mao were standing on the stem of a titanic
ship riding on the waves in an ocean. It was symbolic of Mao's
status at that time as the "paramount leader, teacher and helmsman
of proletarians in China."
Other photo highlights include rarely seen vintage photos of
late Chinese leader Mao in the 1940s and 1950s by veteran
photographers Hou Bo, Xu Xiaobing and Wu Yinxian.
He Yanguang's work focused on the 1984 National Day celebration
and parade when Peking University students walked past the
Tian'anmen Square, holding a banner with the characters "Xiaoping,
Ninhao" (Hello, Xiaoping).
Xie Hailong's "Big Eyes," capturing a little girl in a poorly
equipped rural primary school in remote area of East China's Anhui
Province, is a photo that greatly fuelled the nationwide enthusiasm
for donating money for the Hope Project to aid rural dropouts in
the early 1990s.
Photography was introduced to China about 100 years ago and has
become one of the most popular art genres for both professionals
and amateurs. "Thanks to the popularity of photography in China,
over the last 50 years or so, many historic events and interesting
scenes have been captured by millions of Chinese photographers,"
said Xu Yong, a renowned Chinese photographer.
Xu's works about the vanishing or vanished hutong in the older
areas of Beijing will be auctioned off by Huachen next Thursday in
Beijing.
(China Daily November 17, 2006)