Propaganda was heavily used by China in the 20th century and its use continues to this day. It was integral to solidifying the rule of the Chinese Communist Party in the mid 1900s. They issued many posters and used books and newspapers to convey their message to their audience, the Chinese citizens.
The poster above an example of the aforementioned propaganda.¹ It was created in September of 1966 and shows a young, confident boy holding Chairman Mao’s Red Book with other youths behind him holding red books of their own. The boy extends his arm in a defiant gesture, as if he is protesting against something. The bottom of the poster reads, “Criticize the old world and build a new world with Mao Zedong Thought as a weapon.”
Red is a prominent theme in this poster, demonstrated by the red books and the red flags. This is not a coincidence because red was the typical symbol of communism (China was communist), and in Chinese culture the color red is the symbol of good luck and fortune. Therefore, the poster conveys the message that the Red Book brings good luck and fortune to those who read and follow its words. The young age of the people in the poster is not a coincidence either. Chairman Mao wanted young people to actively engage in the Cultural Revolution, and this poster was probably aimed at Chinese adolescents. Next, the gesture the boy makes seems as if he is denying or rejecting something. The creator of the poster did this because the Cultural Revolution was about rejecting the old ways of the country and moving in a new direction. Finally, the colorful imagery of the poster signals a hopeful future that the youngsters will usher.
This poster is an example of propaganda. It aims to make the viewer, likely a Chinese youth, become engaged in the Cultural Revolution. The poster with its bright colors and confident characters motivate the audience to get involved. The feeling of motivation is caused in order to make the audience passionate about the goals of the Cultural Revolution, which they will help accomplish. The poster also depicts the Red Book several times, emphasizing that the book is an important weapon the young people can use to achieve the goals of the Revolution. The message of the poster worked because many youths were eager to help Chairman Mao, shown by the formation of the Red Guard. They even utilized the Red Book as their weapon, using it to terrorize millions of people. Therefore, this poster is propaganda because it inspires motivation in order to get youths involved in the Cultural Revolution.
Displayed in this poster is Chairman Mao’s Red Book. The Red Book was a terrifying figure of the Chinese Cultural Revolution from 1966–1976. During this time, Chairman Mao, the leader of China, hoped to improve the nation because he felt that the Communist Party and the nation itself was moving in the wrong direction. He hoped to spur a nationalistic spirit that he felt was dying. Therefore, Mao called for the nation’s youth to revitalize the dwindling spirit. The youths formed organizations that questioned the supposedly bourgeois values of their superiors.² These organizations were called the Red Guards, and they were notorious for their violent means of establishing the spirit that Chairman Mao wanted. This included verbally and physically abusing elders, and killing those who appeared to disagree with Chairman Mao’s values.
The Red Book was a symbol of fear during this time. It was distributed to millions of people, the goal being that everyone in China had to own one, and contained over 200 quotes from Chairman Mao that represented his values and ideas. Mao even likened the words of the Red Book to the ideas of Confucius, a famous Chinese philosopher.³
The Red Guard used the book as an instrument of terror. They used the book to accuse teachers and bureaucrats of accusing communist values.⁴ Members of the Red Guard even went to many middle-class homes and checked if the occupants of these homes owned the book or if they could recite passages from it. Owning the book during the Cultural Revolution was one of the only ways to survive.
The mere appearance of the Red Book caused fear in millions of Chinese people during the Cultural Revolution because many negative consequences followed if one did not own it. The fear aimed to gain support for Chairman Mao and raise nationalistic feelings but this plan backfired. After the Cultural Revolution ended, support for the government declined, resulting in less nationalism altogether.⁵
The story of Chairman Mao’s Red Book proves that propaganda is not always successful. Although the goal of the Cultural Revolution was to increase support for the government and raise nationalistic feelings among Chinese citizens, the method in which the government sought to accomplish this goal failed. Despite this failure, the feelings the Red Book instilled in people and the way the Red Guard tried to increase nationalism with the book makes it an article of propaganda.
- Chineseposters.net. “Criticize the Old World and Build a New World with Mao Zedong Thought as a Weapon.” Accessed July 17, 2021. https://chineseposters.net/posters/e15-699.
- Editors, History com. “Cultural Revolution.” HISTORY. Accessed July 17, 2021. https://www.history.com/topics/china/cultural-revolution.
- “Who, What, Why: What Is the Little Red Book?” BBC News, November 26, 2015, sec. Magazine. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34932800.
- Cathcart, Adam. “Explainer: What Is Mao’s Little Red Book and Why Is Everyone Talking about It?” The Conversation. Accessed June 23, 2021. http://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-maos-little-red-book-and-why-is-everyone-talking-about-it-51330.
- Editors, History com. “Cultural Revolution.” HISTORY. Accessed July 17, 2021. https://www.history.com/topics/china/cultural-revolution.