This painting participated in the Double Celebration (shuang qing) art exhibition in Beijing on February 18, 1977. The exhibition was intended to “give welcome to Comrade Hua Guofeng as Chairman of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and celebrate the successful smashing of the Gang of Four.” Under demanding time constraints, artists Ai Xuan Zhang Wenyuan spent 10 days working around the clock to complete this important Tibeta-themed painting Chairman Hua’s Heart and the Tibetan Army Beat as One. The Double Celebration exhibition acted as the closing chapter of the Art of the Cultural Revolution, and brought together a group of monumental Chinese revolutionary historical paintings.

Chairman Hua’s Heart and the Tibetan Army Beat as One selected historical scenes of Hua Guofeng’s visit to Tibet when he served as the Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Central Delegation in 1975, reflecting on the precious historical value of this work. The left half of the painting and the character of Chairman Hua was completed by Ai Xuan, and the remaining by Zhang Wenyuan. The work strictly follows the Three Highlights (san tu chu) principle for artistic and literary creations. The stature of Hua Guofeng is tall and stalwart among the crowd, becoming the center of the picture. The art history period of 1977 to 1979 was defined as post-Cultural Revolution Art. Chairman Hua’s Heart and the Tibetan Army Beat as One was created in the early stage of post-Cultural Revolution, and continued using art as a means of political propaganda. It contains important meaning and historical value from the era.

(Edited by Lijie Wang & Miao Zijin)