Fine Arts In China (中国美术报) was founded on July 5, 1985, as one of two new ventures initiated in Beijing by personnel from national research institutions during that period. The founding year marked a peak in China’s reform and opening-up era. Several young researchers from the Institute of Fine Arts at the China Art Research Institute, upon hearing about the new policies announced earlier that year—which significantly relaxed the central government’s approval requirements for the establishment of schools, newspapers, magazines, and film studios—decided to form a voluntary collective. They applied for a loan of 200,000 RMB from their institution and sought permission to publish the first professional art newspaper in China since the founding of the People’s Republic, titled Fine Arts In China .
The founders of this pioneering initiative included Zhang Qiang, Liu Xiaochun, Yang Gengxin, Zhang Zuying, and Liu Huimin. The first three were engaged in art history and theory research, having graduated from the Art History Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Zhang Zuying, a painter, graduated from the Stage Design Department of the Shanghai Theatre Academy. Liu Huimin, specializing in art theory translation, graduated from the Russian Department of Beijing Foreign Studies University. Due to the central government’s regulations regarding publication licenses, the newspaper was officially registered under the name of the China Art Research Institute, though the team managed the project independently through a self-financed, contract-based model. Among the five founders, Zhang Qiang served as the publisher and legal representative of the newspaper, Zhang Zuying and Liu Huimin acted as vice presidents, Liu Xiaochun was the chief editor, and Yang Gengxin served as deputy editor.
The four-page, full-color weekly not only introduced new methods of newspaper production but also boldly appointed young, dynamic art critics to the editorial team. The publication also invited esteemed veteran artists and theorists to serve as advisors, embodying an academic attitude of inclusiveness and openness. The content of the newspaper covered the latest developments in both domestic and international art circles, philosophical trends, academic debates, and artistic exploration, while reflecting the artistic phenomena and ideas of the time. Some of the more prominent artistic explorations that would emerge in the early 1990s had already begun to take shape within the pages of this publication. However, in early December 1989, the Art Research Institute received notice from the Ministry of Culture ordering the discontinuation of Fine Arts In China . The final issue of the publication was released on January 1, 1990.
Below are the complete scanned images of Fine Arts In China from its inception in 1985 to its cessation in 1989.