Crafted in 1940 “Listening to the Report” vividly praising the spirit of learning among the residents of Yan’an. Capturing the vibrant scenes that Li Qun experienced upon his arrival in Yan’an, this woodcut found its prestigious home in the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra during Li Qun’s “Retrospective Exhibition of Li Qun’s Prints” held in Sydney, Australia in 1995. Additionally, it was recently on loan from the British Museum to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The theme of a new kind of femininity and motherhood is revolutionary. While nursing her baby, the female soldier (Li Qun’s wife) clad in a uniform listens intently to something outside the picture frame and takes notes. As the title suggests, she is focused on a broadcast speech in Yan’an, the Communist power base in northwest China.
Childhood 1912-1930
A village childhood Li Qun’s roots trace back to a quaint mountain village, an enclave characterised by a mere six courtyards and ten households in its nascent years. This hamlet, situated in Lingshi County, Shanxi Province, earned its identity as Hao Jia Zhang. Positioned to the east of Fenhe River,