Qijia Dawa (b.1946) Ganzi, Sichuan

A member of the Zangzu ( Tibetan ) people, Qijia Dawa was orphaned young. He was sent by the government, in 1959, to study in the special class for minorities at the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts. After graduation, in 1964, he was assigned to work as a woodblock artist in the Sichuan branch of the Chinese Artists'Association. Qijia Dawa became general secretary of the branch and a member of the council of both the Chinese Artists'Association and Chinese Printmakers'Association. Typically, he creates romantic portraits of the minority peoples of Sichuan going about their daily lives.

102. The Gratefulness of the Liberated Serfs 1975 60x74cm Polychromatic; oil-based inks on Chinese paper. The costumes and household items are typically Tibetan. Prizes, laid out ready for distribution, are books and agricultural tools, because learning and work go together. A ceremony to commemorate liberation from feudal masters is about to commence.4 4 In Sichuan Banhua Xuan (Selection of Sichuan prints) (Sichuan: Sichuan People's Publishers, 1981), the print is titled Zangzu People Welcome Dear Ones.