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One of the central goals of the new administration was to reform the educational system and bring it in line with socialist thought. Schools and colleges were put under Party supervision, with a Soviet-style Ministry of Education issuing directives. Even outside official institutions, however, people were encouraged to better themselves through study.
What do the paraphernalia in the room tell you about the woman? |
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"Awake Late into the Night" source |
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The building blocks of society
are naturally its children.
Traditionally, it was believed that children must be socialized in Confucian
values and morals before they could become productive members of
society. Under Communist rule,
however, children were inculcated with socialist rather than Confucian
beliefs. Children
unburdened by feudal or capitalist notions could acquire the
socialist vision from the beginning. |
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Can you infer the content of the lesson in this poster? What ideals are being
promoted, and how? |
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Perhaps because of the importance of children for the future of the socialist state, they are featured in many political posters. |
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The poster on the right is titled "Every Generation Is Red."
How are ideals of continuity and history expressed in this poster? Does
it effectively convey Mao's
concept of "continuous revolution?" |
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The new China proclaimed itself to be a multi-ethnic
state. Officially, at least, China
was supposed to be composed of a number of distinct but equal ethnic groups
joined in a collaborative state. The
model provided justification for dominion over Tibet and Xinjiang, which had
been attached to the Qing but had broken away after the collapse of the
dynasty in 1911. Artwork featuring
national minority themes were encouraged.
Images of children and women were particularly popular in this regard.
In what ways would she appear "exotic" or "foreign" by Chinese standards? |
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Move on to Cultural Revolution
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