From Now On, the Chinese People has Stood Up, also more simply referred to as The People, is in terms of size second only to Refugees (200 x 2700 cm) in the artist’s oeuvre. This ink-and-color work on paper is also known as “modern Chinese figure painting”. The creative style of the work can be said to embody what Qi Baishi referred to as “the integration of Chinese brushwork and foreign technique to bring about a unique synthesis of the two”. The texturing, blending and ink washing techniques used in the work indicate a distinct departure from the form and language of traditional Chinese brush and inkwork, and solely serve the artist’s needs in portraying figures and creating the desired effects of light and shade.

The vertical inscription on the left-hand side of the painting reads: “Following the birth of The People’s Republic of China on the first of October 1949 the people of China have since stood up, Zhao He（兆和）”. The seal of the artist in red is affixed beneath, bearing the name of the artist “Zhao He(兆龢)” against the white background. Much of the symbology and iconography used in this piece can still be seen in art since the founding of the new China. For example, the red flag with five stars has come to symbolise The People’s Republic of China, and the ecstatic flagbearers and supporters of the new regime seen beneath it have come to symbolise the people of the Chinese nation, reflected in the symbolism of the peasants and workers in the painting. The male worker with both hands clasped on the national banner, slightly to the front, indicate that the working class occupy the position of leadership. The female peasant gripping the flag with her left hand signifies an alliance with the working class in leading the new regime.

The artists of this period experienced the changes of both the old and new China. “ An effort to represent the new China” endeavours to express the standpoints of both the Party and the nation, and the only position that artists had voluntarily subscribed to. The interplay between the artist, the nation and the collective is a narrative worthy of close examination and continued attention.

(Jiang Yuehong, From Refugees to The People: An Effort to Represent the New China,2011[Extract])