The Image of Women on Chinese Posters 1950s ~1960s

The 1950s and1960s were a historical period for the development of political posters of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). During those two decades, significant changes took place in China’s social structure. Political posters can be viewed as a mirror to observe social relations during a particular era. They were an essential medium for conveying the country’s policies, social ideals, moral customs, and for spreading the spirit of the times during their respective periods. Through their rich social and cultural connotations, posters became a pictorial record reflecting the changes in Chinese society.The discussion of political posters would provide an opportunity to observe how posters have reshaped women’s image in PRC. As a witness of the historical trajectory, posters have recorded women’s transformation from family to society members. The social movements leading to both women’s liberation and women’s empowerment provide us with a variety of historical and critical perspectives, and offer inspiration for understanding the female images and women’s liberation in the present day.The primary method of the study of Chinese posters on women is iconological analysis; then, using the feminism method helps to emphasize how the posters were gendered in the practice of the government’s promotion of women’s liberation. This thesis will strive to offer a general account of women’s posters production before PRC and point to the influence of both the Soviet Union and Polish posters. In the end, this paper will draw the conclusion regarding women’s social status reflected by posters within the two specified decades.

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