Demon

1968 · réf. 160549 — 天津.Tianjin.: No publication details. Circa1968. A Chinese Cultural Revolution poster featuring 19 photographic illustrations printed in blue ink with captions under each image text upper margin in traditional Chinese in red ink. Some variation in the printing of the images in some cases the light being rather light. Good copy. Sheet measures 78.9 x 53.4cm. "'Monsters and Demons' 牛鬼蛇神 niugui sheshen was the term used to vilify specialists scholars authorities and 'people who entrenched themselves in ideological and cultural positions' during the Cultural Revolution. Following the rebroadcasting and reprinting of the editorial "Sweep Away All Monsters and Demons" first published in the People's Daily on 1 June 1966 the Red Guards started a huge purge which swept the country 'dragging out' and prosecuting all those ostensibly fitting the description. The editorial was written by order of Mao Zedong's his political secretary Chen Boda one of the members of the Central Cultural Revolution Group which was headed by Jiang Qing." see Stefan Landsberger's excellent site Chinese Posters. The "demons" featured in this poster were government officials from the sports departments within Hebei Province. In the pictures they have all been forced to kneel down hands handcuffed at their back with a big large piece of cardboard listing their anti-revolutionary offences hung around their necks as part of their public shaming. The "demons" were all accused of the crimes of anti-revolution revisionism under the political campaign led by Mao Zedong which started at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution. . No publication details. unknown