Source 4 : Mass Poetry
Mass Poetry During the Great Leap Forward
Selection of mass poems collected by Chen:
In Heaven there is no Jade Emperor. Nor is there a Dragon King in the sea.
I am the Jade Emperor,
I am the Dragon King. Hoy, you Three Sacred Mountains and Five Holy Peaks, Make way!
Here I come.
We worship no god, nor temples build, Chairman Mao's love is greater manifold. Gods we destroy, and temples tear down,
Better than gods we worship the One Man. Mountains may shake, earth may quake but we dare not forget what the Chairman said.
Each year our farm production grows,
Grains and cotton pile up mountain high, Hurrah! Eat the grains, but don't forget the sower,
The Communist Party's our dear Ma and Pa.
Two full baskets I carry on a pole,
How their weight makes the pole bend; But my dear wife, you come and see, I'm carrying a mountain at each end.
Anon.
Chen, S. H. (1960) 'Multiplicity in Uniformity: Poetry and the Great Leap Forward'. The China Quarterly (3), 1-15
JSTOR
Source 3: Anon (1958) Everyone a solider, protect the mother country (Propaganda Poster)
People's militia
This poster was used to disseminate Mao's campaign to establish people's militias. Everyone able bodied was encouraged to undergo military training. Whilst the practice was voluntary, it was estimated that by the end of 1958 over 200,000,000 people were on the militia rolls.
Anon
Baidu
https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/209895189.html
Source 2: Zhang Ruji (1958) Go all out and aim high, The East leaps forward, the west is worried (Propaganda Poster)
Great Leap Forward
The propaganda poster contains the slogan : 'greater, faster, better,cheaper' used to underpin the Great Leap Forward's main goal of increased production. Typical of the idealism and metaphorical imagery at the time, the masses are seen steering a boat to victory whilst Taiwan is shown in the bottom right corner as a shipwreck.
Zhang Ruji
Renmin Meishu Chubanshe
chineseposters.net
1958
Source 1: Anon (1958) A Great Leap Commune Canteen Celebrates National Day
Communal Canteens
Communal canteens were rolled out as a way to control food supplies, disrupt the family unit, increase surveillance and forge a collectivist mentality. All food supplies went to canteens and individuals were not allowed to either store their own food or cook for themselves. Due to mismanagement of supplies, the communal canteens were a contributing factor to the great famine.
Anon
Everyday Life in Maoist China
https://everydaylifeinmaoistchina.org/2017/09/04/a-great-leap-commune-canteen-celebrates-national-day-in-1958/
1958
Source 7: Anon (1960) Chiang Kai-Shek meets Dwight Eisenhower (US President) in Taipei
Five years after the signing of the Sino-American mutual defence treaty, US president Eisenhower met with Chiang Kai-Shek in Taiwan. Eisenhower even threatened nuclear attack on the Chinese mainland if they attempted to invade Taiwan. Eisenhower is well regarded by the Taiwanese who in 2015 pledged $1 million dollars to erect a statue of him.
Anon
Taipei Times
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/photo/2013/09/16/2008092097
1960
Source 6: Constitution of the Republic of China (1946)
This was the first constitution of the Republic of China. Previous constitutions were only provisional in nature. The constitution emphasises the teachings of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen as the guiding ideology of the republic. In particular, the constitution emphasises the right to vote, something never enacted by Chiang. It also emphasises that every president only has the right to two six-year terms, something also breached by Chiang in Taiwan under the provision of martial law.
Chinese Nationalist Party
University of Southern California China Institute
https://china.usc.edu/constitution-republic-china-1946
Source 5 : Harrison Forman (1941) Chiang Kai-Shek in Chongqing during the Sino-Japanese War
Chongqing
This photograph depicts Chiang addressing a meeting of the People's Political Council in Chongqing. The Nationalist Party allowed the creation of these civilian-led committees to garner support for the war effort in 1938. Women were allowed to participate as council members.
Harrison Forman
American Geographical Society Library, University of Milwaukee
https://collections.lib.uwm.edu/digital/collection/agsphoto/id/10389/rec/20
1941
Source 4 : Bank of China Newspaper Advertisement (1928)
The announcement of China's first National reserve bank was intended as a symbol of national and economic stability after the turbulent warlord era. This advertisement claims that the bank will foster greater international trade with China, cementing Shanghai as China's economic powerhouse.
Bank of China
National Archives and Record Administration (NARA) [USA]
Virtual Cities Project: Shanghai https://www.virtualshanghai.net/Photos/Images?ID=35166
Source 3: Anon (1927) Nationalist police take away suspected communist for execution
Shanghai Massacre
This photograph is one of several that depicts the Shanghai Massacre. There are many graphic photographs of executions themselves taking place. Here, a suspected communist is tied up on a truck probably to be transported to an execution site. The large mast he is tied to lists his supposed crimes.
Anon
https://baike.baidu.com/pic/四一二反革命政变/3726155/0/7787b9efbce89b54fcfa3c12?fr=lemma&ct=single#aid=0&pic=7787b9efbce89b54fcfa3c12
https://baike.baidu.com/pic/四一二反革命政变/3726155/0/7787b9efbce89b54fcfa3c12?fr=lemma&ct=single#aid=0&pic=7787b9efbce89b54fcfa3c12
Source 2 (1923) Sun-Joffe Declaration
The Sun-Joffe Declaration was a formal agreement between the Nationalist Party and the Soviet Union. The agreement ensured that Russia had no desire to implement Communism in China. The document also states that the Soviet Union would not infringe upon the Chinese territory of Outer Mongolia. Although it is not written into the agreement, Sun had nevertheless allowed Communist Party members to join the Nationalist Party, a policy that Chiang Kai-Shek reversed following Sun's death in 1925. Sun ideologically agreed with the Soviet Union in certain respects, particularly the liberation of all countries from imperialism, something he emphasised in a letter to Russia from his deathbed.
Sun Yat-Sen and Adolph Joffe
https://www2.stetson.edu/~psteeves/classes/sunjoffe.html
https://www2.stetson.edu/~psteeves/classes/sunjoffe.html
1923