B. 1945 Artist He DeGuang He Deguang, born in 1945 in Kunming and wanted to be an artist from childhood. He attended the Yunnan Art Institute and graduated in 1963, which he remembers as a period of dire hardship. The difficulties are generally blamed on the "Great Leap Forward," the misfired economic plan of 1958-60, and natural disasters that resulted in poor harvests.

After He Deguang's graduation he was assigned to work in a factory which he did for nine years. In 1972 he was reassigned to an army song and dance troupe as a set designer. He Deguang participated in the groundbreaking 1980 exhibition.

In 1982 he joined with Jiang, Liu and He Neng to form a group that called itself "Contemporary Chinese Heavy Color" and he also participated in the Hong Kong exhibition of that year. Deguang felt that the artistic opportunity he had always dreamed of materialized in 1982 when he won a spot in a post graduate program at Beijing's Central Academy of Fine Arts. When He Deguang returned to Kunming he took a new job at a masses art center where he is curator of folk art of Yunnan minority peoples. He Deguang talks about art: "I believe that art is a combination of intense experiences, feelings and love . . . I live in an ancient land with majestic mountains, clear blue skies that are full of beautiful people, especially the minority people who are so innocent and honest. My goal is to imbue my works with the love I feel for the people and the land."