Xu Bing
While at the Central Academy of Fine Arts Xu Bing mastered the Socialist Realism style of art so predominant during the Maoist era. After graduating with his degree in printmaking, the artist veered away and created simple but dramatic woodcuts, such as "Shattered Jade" (1977) and "Bustling Village on the Water" (1980–81, 繁忙的水乡). In 1987, Xu Bing returned to his training in printmaking to create large and elaborate installation pieces like "Book from the Sky" (1987) and "Ghosts Pounding the Wall" (1990).