In 1969 Qian joined the People 's Liberation Army and was stationed in Shanghai , where he served as an officer and a reporter for the '' PLA Daily '' . In 1976 Qian took part in the relief effort following the 1976 Tangshan earthquake , an event that deeply affected him and the subject of many of his later works . Since 1979 he has been a member of China Association of Journalists , including serving as its director . He was also involved in the founding of the periodicals '' China Disaster Report '' ( 中国减灾报 ) , '' Life Week '' ( 三联生活周刊 ) , and the CCTV program '' News Probe '' ( 新闻调查 ) . In 1984 Gang enrolled in the People 's Liberation Army College of Art in Beijing and upon graduation in 1986 he became a journalist at the '' PLA Daily '' . From 1998 to 2001 he served as deputy editor of the Guangzhou-based newspaper '' Southern Weekend ''
1976 Tangshan earthquake
1976 Tangshan earthquake
Qian Gang