Hou Bo (Chinese: 侯波; 17 September 1924 – 26 November 2017) was a Chinese photographer best known for her portraits of Mao Zedong. Working closely with her husband, Xu Xiaobing, she produced both official imagery used in mass publicity and informal photographs taken off the record.
Early life and training
Hou Bo was born in 1924. As a teenager she became politically active, joining the Communist movement at age fourteen. During the years of conflict with Japan she began learning photographic techniques while serving with Communist forces in the field, a period that coincided with the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Work with Mao
After the founding of the People's Republic in 1949, Hou and Xu lived in the same compound as Mao. From that position they were able to photograph the leader in a variety of settings: carefully staged portraits and scenes intended for official distribution, as well as candid moments that captured more private or domestic aspects of Mao's life. Many of their images were reproduced widely as posters and other propaganda material, shaping public perceptions of the chairman.
Notable photographs
- "The Founding of the PRC" (1949)
- "Mao Zedong Swimming Across the Yangzi" (1955)
- "Chairman Mao at Work in an Airplane" (1959)
- "Mao Zedong with Students from Latin America" (1959) — this photograph received First Prize at the National Photography Exhibition of 1959
Legacy and death
Hou Bo's photographs remain important documents of mid-20th-century Chinese history and of the visual construction of Mao's image. Her work is frequently cited in studies of propaganda, portraiture, and modern Chinese visual culture. She died on 26 November 2017 in Beijing at the age of 93.