Even though propaganda were prevalent during the Cultural Revolution, the Communist Party did not invent its use . In fact, throughout Chinese history, the Chinese government frequently used the arts to spread correct behavior and thought. Literature, poetry, paintings, stage plays, songs, and other forms of artistic expression were not only produced for entertainment, but also educated the masses on the concepts of right and wrong.
After the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the poster was the primary method for the Communist Party to share its ideology. The reasons for the poster’s use was twofold. First, during the mid-1900s many Chinese citizens were illiterate, so imagery could more effectively convey ideas. Second, producing posters was highly cost effective. During the Cultural Revolution, posters were widely available, and it is estimated that over 2 billion propaganda posters were printed.
Posters were printed in a variety of sizes for both public and personal use. Large posters often appeared in the street, railway stations, factories, and other public places. The smaller posters were designed for personal consumption and were distributed through New China (新华) bookstores. Many people liked the posters for their use of bright colors, composition, and visual contents. Since the posters were so widely available, they were used to decorate where people lived and worked. During the Cultural Revolution, it was not uncommon for people to hang posters in their houses, dormitories and offices.
The themes surrounding the posters’ content generally fall into four themes: class struggle, public health, economic reconstruction, and embodying the values of the Cultural Revolution; however, most people did not pay attention to the posters’ slogans. As a result the ideology in the posters was passed through society in a rather subconscious manner.
