Reading Liao Bingxiong: Chinese Cartoonist of the 20th Century

Abstract

The cartoonist Liao Bingxiong 廖冰兄 articulated his changing vision of Chinese reality in a long series of cartoons and calligraphic pieces from the 1930s and onwards to the time of his death in 2006, at the age of 91. His art evolved alongside the politics in China, and throughout the 20th century he would draw history as it was unfolding. From the corruption and abuses of power in the Republic of China under the Guómíndǎng 国民党 (The Nationalist Party); the Japanese occupying the country; the People s Republic of China under Máo Zédōng 毛泽东; and down to the opening and reformation after Máo s death – Liao was there to document it all with his pen and paint brush. In Reading Liao Bingxiong: Chinese Cartoonist of the 20th century I present a selective study of the collected works of the cartoon artist, tracing his political cartoons and calligraphy through the 1900s and early 2000s. Liao was born poor and throughout his life took the side of the weakest in society; he was an artist of the people, and used his social mobility as an opportunity to comment on the condition of society, sometimes seemingly from a position outside any existing ideologies. In this thesis I argue that Liao Bingxiong s cartoons and calligraphy reflect not only the artist s own changing artistic, social and political sensibilities, but that they also can help one to understand the changing social structures in China in the 20th century.