The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 20, 2025

#1993

1999

Wang Jinsong

(Chinese, b. 1963)
China, 20th century
Chromogenic print
Paper: 193 x 127 cm (76 x 50 in.)
Gift of Richard Born 2019.308
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

In 1978, 18% of Chinese lived in urban areas; by 2017, that number had risen to 53%.

Description

One of the earliest photographic works to address China’s massive urban development program, Wang Jinsong’s series 100 Signs of Demolition presents examples of the Chinese character “chai,” meaning “demolish,” written on buildings marked for demolition. Economic and social reforms launched in 1978 greatly accelerated the number of people moving to the cities and led to their modernization, which involved the loss of many historic structures and of some cities’ unique character.
  • Wang Jinsong (the artist)
    (Karen Smith, Beijing, China)
    c. 2004-06
    Richard Born Collection, New York, NY
    December 2, 2019
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Refocusing Photography: China at the Millenium. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 8-November 16, 2025).
  • {{cite web|title=#1993|url=false|author=Wang Jinsong|year=1999|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2019.308