Chinese Propaganda Posters

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Those who are now (2004) in their fifties and above, will certainly remember what we then called "Mao posters" and what art critics now call "Chinese propaganda posters". It is history now, and has become a field for art collectors. Sic tempora mutant - "..and the times, they are changing."

The Mao Cult in the West

In Western countries, the Mao Zedong cult was certainly restricted to a very small minority, mostly among the protesting students. But it was a movement that had a strong influence on Western culture in those days.

The 1960s were the era of a new pop culture following the conservative years after 1945, when people were busy removing the rubble of the air bombardments of world war II and with the reconstruction of their destroyed cities and economies. The new wave set in with a revolutionary new style in music, fashion, design and arts. "Pop Art" was the dominating art movement, represented by artists like Andy Warhol or Roy Lichtenstein. In music it was the sound and the public appearance of the Beatles and many other then famous bands. These guys probably influenced a whole generation more than official "institutions" like public schools.

Hardly in a political sense, but as a cultural phenomenon the Mao cult became part of the Western pop art era. Andy Warhol's famous silkscreen portraits of chairman Mao from 1972/73 or the Beatles song "Revolution" from 1968 (see on top and on bottom) are a vivid testimony.

Historical Background

When the Red Army was encircled by the troops of Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek in 1934, 90.000 men and women could break through the lines of the the siege. Under the leadership of Mao Zedong they went on the long march (1934-1935) over a distance of 6,000 miles (nearly 10,000 kilometers) to escape the Nationalist troops and to reorganize themselves. During the long march, graphic sheets were produced and distributed to the local people along the way to win their support and to propagate the Communist ideology.

These graphic sheets can be regarded as the predecessors of Chinese propaganda posters. They were made in black and white, were rather simple and from an artistic aspect not overly attractive. Today they are extremely rare and collectors pay high prices for them.

After the foundation of the People's Republic of China in 1949, posters became an important means of getting the message across from the Communist party to the people. These posters were probably the most influential means of propaganda. This is not astonishing when one considers that especially in the rural areas people were illiterate. Radio or television did not exist for the majority of the population in the 50s, 60s and were still rather rare in the 70s. Posters were easy and cheap to produce. The total output was several billion over a period of 30 to 40 years.

In 1958 Mao Zedong initiated the "Great Leap Forward" - an ambitious program to shape the country with its huge population to a modern, industrialized nation after the pattern of Communist ideology. The program was a huge failure. Historians guess that from 4 to 40 million people starved to death because they had nothing to eat - horrifying! Mao lost much of his political influence. In 1966 under his and his wife's Jiang Qing leadership, the Cultural Revolution was initiated. Millions of mainly urban youths, organized as "Red Guards" were mobilized and sent out into the countryside to propagate Mao's ideology of a new society and to fight the "Four Olds" (old ideas, old culture, old customs and old habits).

The result was economically and socially a disaster. China plunged into chaos and destruction. The Cultural Revolution lasted until Mao's death in 1976. Under Deng Xiaoping, the reformers slowly regained control of the country.

Subjects on Chinese Propaganda Posters

Chinese propaganda posters are associated with the image of Mao Zedong in all different forms - as the rising sun hovering over a sea of red flags. This is both true and false. True - as these posters were among those with the highest editions. False, because the majority of the subjects were different.

The dominating images were depictions of what the Communist party considered the ideal of a better life and of social behavior under their Communist philosophy. Economic prosperity for the rural population and the workers in the cities was a paramount issue. Another ideal was an unselfish life in the service of the community and the country.

Regarding the number of different designs, probably the majority of the propaganda posters show peasants in "role model" poses. Men and women are shown chubby and healthy with a big smile on their faces. Men and women are neatly cleaned and happily pursue their work for a better life. And if they did not work, they were encouraged to serve the community unselfishly or to learn the "wisdoms" of the great chairman Mao Zedong.

Of course, there are also the images of the "class battles" type. But overall, the majority of the Chinese propaganda posters created until the beginning of the Cultural revolution were a reflection of the desire of the common Chinese citizen for a better life.

With the beginning of the cultural revolution in 1966 a certain shift in the images of propaganda posters became visible. In a nutshell: The scenes now shown became aggressive and ugly. While the typical pose of the people depicted on the "old" propaganda posters was one of shining eyes and faces that expressed optimism and friendliness, now faces expressing hate showed up. Not even the children were left out. They are shown with fierce and hateful looks, as little grown-ups who actively take part in hunting down the "Four Old Evils" (old ideas, old culture, old customs and old habits). The image of the poster "Grow up Amid Struggles" from around 1970 is a good example.

Artistic Roots

The posters were designed by professional artists and artisans trained at China's academies and publishing houses. They were produced by nationalized companies like Shanghai Peoples' Art Publishing House.

The artistic roots for the designs came from three major sources. First to be mentioned is the so-called social realism that had developed in the Communist Soviet Union. Another important root were the old, traditional Chinese folk art prints, known as New Year Prints. These were inexpensive woodblock prints used by the common people, mainly in the countryside as good luck symbols, to fend off the evil spirits and to decorate their homes and door entrances. The motif of the "Chubby Baby" is the best example for the integration of subjects from Chinese folk art prints.

A third source of influence in my view was the design style of commercial advertising in Western countries from the 1950s. As the message of most of the posters was a happy life of prosperity, meaning radios and refrigerators and all these amenities shown in Western advertising, it made some sense for the Chinese poster designers to integrate this style into their works.

Tips for Collectors

Chinese propaganda posters have developed into a serious section of art collecting - comparable to art works from the period of Russian Realism. Prices for posters are still modest. For rare examples several hundred dollars are however no exemption.

Even fakes do exist. It may sound a bit ironic, but this is always a sign for a sound and interesting art section. If you want to get first-hand information about fake Chinese propaganda posters, the web site of Chris TO, an expert collector from Hong Kong is a good place - web site see below.

Update July 2005: The fakes on the internet have become more widespread lately. You can find sites that offer "authentic" Mao posters for cheap prices - fakes in reality! The fakes can also be found at flea markets in China for low prices.

Those of you who are new to the subject of Chinese propaganda posters and are flirting with a purchase, should know that the paper quality is not comparable to laid paper of the type "Rives BK" used for upper Western art prints. The paper is rather thin and modest in quality.

Most of the value criteria used for art prints, are also applied to Chinese propaganda posters. An early edition counts more than a later one. Serious collectors try to describe their objects with the publishing house and with the date of publication. Often the artist(s) who created a work are known. But they are not necessarily mentioned.

Attempt of an Assessment

Propaganda posters are a part of the social history of the Chinese people and a part of China's art history. In my opinion they express to a large part the desire of the common Chinese men and women for a decent life and a brighter future after centuries of oppression, famine and illiteracy.

The opinions on Chinese propaganda posters may differ. But one thing would definitely be inappropriate - any kind of mockery or feelings of Western superiority.

Is it art? There is no answer to it. It depends on what you consider as art. If you consider Japanese ukiyo-e of the nineteenth century as art, then you are probably inclined to "grant" Chinese propaganda posters the same status. Both were mass-produced and were made at the time to serve for a certain purpose. The purpose of ukiyo-e was mostly commercial. The purpose for the production of the Chinese propaganda posters was a political one.

Chinese Printmaking after Mao

Beginning in the early 1980s, Chinese artists began to make a turn-around. Although most of them were employed at art academies and thus dependant on an income provided by the state, they radically began to create individual art works. Most have relied on the traditional technique of Chinese woodblock printmaking and on traditional themes like landscapes and nature scenes. Western techniques and style elements were cautiously picked up, but not over-eagerly. Images from the colorful world of ethnic minorities in China became as frequent as aspects of the preservation of the natural beauties of China.

The return to traditional Chinese values mixed with Western elements under a politically rather liberal art scene, has produced stunning results. Contemporary Chinese art is about to become an appreciated and admired part in the international world of arts and a factor in art business.