Li, Shaomin

Shaomin Li, born during the Maoist era in China, studied painting and drawing with renowned artists Xie Zhigao and Ning Daming. During the Cultural Revolution he was drafted by the People's Liberation Army to produce works of art. After Mao died in 1976, he was ordered to paint Mao's portrait for the official state memorial service. When Chinese universities reopened after 1976, Li attended Peking University to study economics. In 1982 he began graduate studies in the United States, earning a Ph.D. in sociology from Princeton University. He later conducted research at Harvard University as a p...