Works of artist Zhou Lingzhao donated to Central Academy of Fine Arts

More than 200 paintings, posters, manuscripts and designs created by Zhou Lingzhao (1919-2023) were recently donated to the Central Academy of Fine Arts, in Beijing, where he taught for decades.

The earliest work dates to 1938, when Zhou made art to encourage the public in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45). Spanning more than half a century, the collection traces the life and career of a dedicated artist whose work reflects the turbulent changes of China throughout the 20th century, revealing a broader social panorama.

Among the most notable works in Zhou's rich and diverse output is a portrait of the late Chairman Mao Zedong that was hung on the Tian'anmen rostrum in Beijing during the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China on Oct 1,1949.

Zhou was also the chief designer of the banknotes for the second, third and fourth series of the renminbi, China's national currency.