Few people these days would likely know that Beijing’s Central Academy of Fine Arts used to be located in an alley near bustling Wangfujing Street before it relocated to Wangjing, just outside the northeastern section of the Fourth Ring road, some two decades ago.
For years, artists who taught at CAFA have been witness to the changes to the city’s skyline, as well as to the things held dear by residents that remain unchanged.
They have celebrated the history, culture, and traditions of the capital, in tandem with their depictions of urban transformation and rapid social development as the country has moved forward.
Rising At Dawn, an ongoing exhibition at the Capital Library of China, brings together a selection of Beijing-themed art belonging to the CAFA’s art museum collection.
The work is from different periods spanning the second half of the last century, and presents varied perspectives of Beijing’s past and present.