1. Hou Bo was a Chinese photographer who, with her husband Xu Xiaobing, was among the best known photographers of Mao Zedong.
10 Facts About Hou Bo
1. 2.
Hou Bo was born in September 1924 in Xia County, Shanxi Province, and was from a poor peasant background.
3.
Hou Bo later recalled, "About 10 friends gathered with us in our cave; we bought jujubes and dried buns, and we all sang together".
4.
Work assignments separated the couple for long periods of time, but Hou studied photography with Japanese prisoners.
5.
From 1950 to 1961, Hou Bo lived in the Zhongnanhai, the residence of top party officials, where she set up the Photography Department.
6.
Hou Bo was joined by her husband and two children, who were reared in the Party nursery there.
7.
Hou Bo's assignment was to make a photographic record not only of Mao, but of Central Committee members including Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, and Liu Shaoqi.
8.
Hou Bo travelled with these officials and often caught them in unguarded moments, such as "Chairman Mao at Work on an Aeroplane", which showed him intent on reading a document.
9.
Hou Bo had a mixed relation with Mao's wife, Jiang Qing, who pursued photography as an avid amateur and had Hou Bo transferred from Zhongnanhai to New China News Agency in 1961.
10.
Hou Bo's photography explored deeper into the history of Mao Zedong, as well as attempt to highlight and depict the features of his image that made him a historical leader in Chinese history.