Guo Shouxiang (1942) was born in Pingding Dayu, Shanxi Province. He was adopted by others as a child, so he called himself "Rootless Grass" (无根草).

In 1969, he was transferred to the Propaganda Department of the Political Department of the Hebei Provincial Military Region. At the beginning of 1970, the leader asked him to be responsible for the art creation commemorating the 30th anniversary of the publication of Chairman Mao’s “Speech at the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art”. Hebei Province has very rich revolutionary historical themes. For an amateur art enthusiast, it is really stressful to take on this important task. But this was a political task that cannot be shied away from. After more than two months, he became thin and had a high fever, so he was admitted to the 260 Hospital. After more than a month of treatment, he began to recover, and he and his comrades from the news reporting team went to Xiyang, Dazhai, and other places to collect news. At that time, Chen Yonggui, Jia Jincai, Jia Chengrang, and Liang Banliang from Dazhai introduced them to vivid stories of Dazhai people’s self-reliance.

During the sketch review meeting, the comrades of "People's Liberation Army Literature and Art" (解放军文艺) fell in love with "Dazhai New Look" (大寨新貌) at a glance. Five days later, he sent the revised black-and-white woodcut version to the editorial office of "People's Liberation Army Literature and Art" on the fourth floor of the Ministry of National Defense Office Building. It was published in the second issue in 1974. In July 1974, the review meeting for the National Art Exhibition to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of New China was held in Taiyuan. When he heard the news that "The New Look of Dazhai" was elected with a high vote, he felt paralyzed, had no desire to eat, and slept for three days.