中国宣传画(Models and Martyrs)

theuseofmodelsfiguredprominentlyinthepoliticalthoughtofmaozedong.hewasconvincedthateverybodyconstantlyhadtobemadeawareofwhatwascorrectbehaviour,andwhatconductwasdeemedunacceptable;correctideaswouldautomaticallyfollowfromproperbehaviour.thiswasnotsomethingmaohadinvented.itwasbasedonideasthathadbeendevelopedoverthecenturiesbychinese(political)philosophers:thatpeoplecouldbeformedandtransformedasiftheywereclaypuppets.accordingtomao,whenanordinarypersonisconfrontedwithamodelofidealbehaviour,hewillfeeladesiretoremakehimself.thisresultsinacontradictionbetweentheexistingvaluesofthatpersonandthenewoneshecompareshimselfwith.thestrugglebetweenthesetwoleadstoanewequilibrium,inwhichthenewvaluesareinternalized.buttheprocessdoesnotstopthere:whenconfrontedwithanewmodel,theequilibriumgiveswaytoanewcontradiction.inthisway,aneternalcycleofconfrontation,internalizationandrenewedconfrontationiscreated,leadingtoever-higherlevelsofhumanperfection.propagandaposterswerejustonewayofpresentingmodelstothemasses.

variouspeopleoffleshandbloodhavehadthegoodfortunetobecomeamodel;manyexamplessacrificedthemselvesfortherevolution,likeliuhulan.othermodelsmerelyembodiedthe"spiritofascrew"byblindlyandobedientlyfollowingsuperiors.inthe1950s,partyfunctionarieswereheldupforstudy,becausetheydemonstratedboundlessloveforthepeople,sacrificedeverythingtheyhadfortheidealsoftheparty,andwereloyalandobedienttoboot.jiaoyuluisatypicalexampleofsuchamodelcadre.othermodelsincludedsoldierswhohaddiedamartyrsdeathinthestruggleforpowerthatintheendledtothefoundationoftheprc(dongcunrui)orwhohadfallenonthebattlefieldinkorea.inthe1960s,thenumberofsoldier-modelsincreased.amongthemwereouyanghaiandwangjie,butthebestknownofthemallwasleifeng.butmodelscouldalsobenon-human.variousproductionbrigades,productionprocesses,break-throughs,historicalevents,etc.havebeenseenasmodelsworthyofemulationthroughthedecades.

content-wise,thefigureofmaozedong,asthegreatteacher,thegreatleader,thegreathelmsman,thesupremecommander,hisrevolutionaryroleandhisthought,dominatedpropagandainthefirsthalfoftheculturalrevolution.mao,ofcourse,alreadyhadappearedprominentlyonpostersdatingbackasfarasthe1940s,despitehiswarningsagainstapersonalitycult.theintensityofhisportrayalinthesecondhalfofthe1960s,however,wasunparalleled.maosimplywaseverywhere;hisofficialportraitevenhungineveryhome,oftenoccupyingthecentralplaceonthefamilyaltar.mao,then,seemedtobetheonlypermissiblesubjectoftheera,theonlymodeldisplayingbehaviourthatcouldbeemulated.hisimagewasconsideredmoreimportantthantheoccasionforwhichthepropagandaposterwasdesigned:inanumberofcases,identicalposterswerepublishedindifferentyearsbearingdifferentslogans,inotherwords,servingdifferentpropagandacauses.

alreadyintheearly1970s,proxiessuchasleifengandchenyonggui(partysecretaryofdazhaicommune,shaanxiprovince;latervice-premier)replacedmao.otherpostersweredevotedtothenewthingsthatwereseenasthevictoriesoftheculturalrevolution.theyfeaturedheroicimagesofworkers,peasantsandsoldierswavingthelittleredbookandcheeringonwhatevermassmovementwastakingplaceatthatmoment.ortheyhighlightedthesuccessesofmassmobilizationandself-reliance(byshowingtheredflagcanal),inindustry(byshowingtheindustrialmodelofthedaqingoilfield)andagriculture(byshowingtheagriculturalmodelcommuneofdazhai),andothermodelsofproduction.thingschangedwithdengxiaopingsascendancytopowerin1977.chinaembarkedonacourseofeconomicmodernizationandreform.logically,anewtypeofmodelwasneededforemulation.thesemodelsnolongerhadtosacrificethemselvesforthesuccessofthefourmodernizations,buttheywereheldupfortheconcretecontributionstheymadetothisprocess.inordertoportraysuchsubjectsconvincingly,modelswereemployedwhowererelativelyprominentinsomeaspect,butnotasperfectandfreefromshortcomingsanderrorsasbefore.

thenewheroes,reflectingthetrendtowarddiversityandpluralismthatbecametheundercurrentinthechinaofthe1980s,strovetoimprovetheircountryanditsinternationalposition.theyvaluedlearningandtheycontributedtotheurgenttaskofbuildingasocialistspiritualcivilization.perhapsmostsignificantly,theydidnotnecessarilybelongtotheformerpillarsofsociety(workers,peasantsorsoldiers),butcouldalsobeintellectualsorstudents.invariably,theyaretheoneswearinglabcoatsandglasses.