An Unforgettable Yunnan Impression for an American

Author: Ren Zhanghui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-07-01
Features: In early 1943, Bert Kravchuk first came to Yunnan, China as a member of General Chennault's Flying Tigers, the American Volunteer Group aiding China. He spent nearly three years there, developing a deep interest in the local people and documenting various aspects of their culture with a camera and brush. In 1989, 1991, and 1994, he revisited Yunnan three times, capturing the dramatic changes the region underwent during its modernization process. The photographs and paintings excerpted in this book span a full 50 years. During World War II, he was a photographer for the Flying Tigers. His works have been exhibited at the Viceregal Palace in New Delhi, India. While serving in Asia, his representative works were displayed in U.S. museums. In 1972, following President Nixon's historic visit to China and his return to the U.S., he was invited by the White House to present watercolor paintings. As Overseas Council Member of the International Cultural Exchange Center of Yunnan, China, Honorary Member of the Chinese Photographers' Association, and Honorary Citizen of Kunming City, China, he is also a member of the Wisconsin Watercolor Society in the U.S. He was commissioned to photograph and depict the landscapes and seascapes of Puerto Rico. Named a "Realist Artist" by one of the world's largest art material manufacturers, New York Grumbacher Inc. His photographic and painting works on China have been published in numerous international, national, and regional publications. Listed in the "Who's Who in the Midwest" of the U.S. He established an image archive titled "China in the 1940s" at the American Geographical Society. He donated a collection of historical photographs and watercolor paintings of Yunnan to the International Cultural Exchange Center of Yunnan, China.