Dao dafeng dalang zhong qu duanlian. (Steel Yourself in Great Winds and Great Seas.)

Beijing: Renmin tiyu chubanshe,, 1976. A well-preserved and eye-catching Cultural Revolution poster celebrating the virtues of revolutionary enthusiasm and dedication in China's youth. Although this was one of 100,000 copies produced for the first printing, only a fraction survive in collectable condition. Throughout the Mao period, propaganda posters and publications portrayed teenagers and young adults as the builders of China's socialist tomorrow, urging them to dedicate themselves to making revolution in the face of all adversity. During the Cultural Revolution, after the heady radicalism of the Red Guard movement, Mao sanctioned the rustication of large numbers of students to the countryside to restore order in urban areas. Posters such as the present dramatic example aimed to pacify a youth generation feeling increasingly disillusioned with and alienated from the Communist project. Though not marked as such, the present copy is from the library of Paul Pickowicz (b. 1945), a notable scholar of modern Chinese culture and society. In 1971, Pickowicz was one of 15 American scholars invited to visit the mainland, the delegation being the first group of American academics to set foot in Mao's China. Poster (767 x 1062 mm), showing a young Red Guard swimming in waves alongside fellow revolutionaries. Edges toned and lightly creased, chip and two small closed tears to upper margin not affecting image. In near-fine condition.