Art beat ... finger on the pulse

Beijing

Rare images

Photographer Weng Naiqiang has donated 143 of his photographs to the Central Academy of Fine Arts, most of which he took during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76). They are now on display at CAFA's art museum. The rarely seen pictures captured historic moments such as when the late Chairman Mao Zedong met Red Guards on the Tian'anmen Square. They also recorded Red Guards on their way to "da chuan lian (mass exchanges)" to see the country, and zhiqing (educated youths) working on Beidahuang in Northeast China. Born in Indonesia, Weng was sent back to China in 1951 by his patriotic father. He learned oil painting at CAFA and later became a photographer.