Artist Zeng Fanzhi depicts ‘zero-COVID’ after a lifetime of service to the Chinese state

By DAKE KANG
Associated Press

SHENZHEN, China (AP) — A year after protests pushed Beijing to end its strict “zero-COVID” controls, retired architect Zeng Fanzhi is on the road, displaying stark portraits of life under the policy. During that time, millions of people were tested, locked in apartments, or carried off to quarantine centers as China worked to eliminate the coronavirus. But Zeng has a different perspective from the protesters, one shaped by the tumult of China’s recent past and a lifetime of service to the Chinese state. Zeng sees China’s adherence to “zero-COVID” controls as necessary and sees his art as his tribute to the heroism of ordinary people.