MONROE, La. — The University of Louisiana Monroe will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the photography exhibition “Through the Lens of Tianyu Wang: Shaanxi Province in the 1960s–2000s” at 12:45 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in the lobby of Walker Hall, 700 University Ave. Members of the media and the public are invited to attend.
The exhibit honors Tianyu Wang, a distinguished Chinese photojournalist whose work captures the culture, landscapes, and daily life of Shaanxi Province over four decades. The photographs highlight a transformative period in modern Chinese history, offering a visual account of the social, political, and economic changes that shaped the region from the 1960s through the 2000s.
In summer 2025, the Tan family established the Tianyu Wang Endowed Scholarship to support upperclassmen pursuing degrees in Communication. To celebrate his legacy, the family is presenting a selection of Wang’s photographs in conjunction with the Chinese New Year.
“Through the Lens of Tianyu Wang” demonstrates the power of photography to preserve history. Wang himself described his work as a way to “remember our brilliant history in order to motivate us to make progress in the future.”
The exhibition is designed to complement the Tianyu Wang Endowed Scholarship and invites ULM students and the Monroe/West Monroe community to explore the people, history, and culture of Shaanxi Province. This project is made possible through the support of the ULM Foundation and the Tan family.