LIAO, Chengzhi (ed.).

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Zhongguo ("China"). First edition, first printing, of this archetypal example of the propaganda photobook genre. Under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture, top photojournalists and officials worked for over a year to deliver this ostentatious celebration of ten years of the People's Republic of China. Copies were distributed only to political elites, foreign VIPs, and important libraries.By the tenth anniversary of the People's Republic on 1 October 1959, the Chinese Communist Party had strengthened its hold on the country, despite persistent threats from the US and the Kuomintang in Taiwan. This lavish photobook comprehensively reviews the party's decade in power, from the successes of socialist agriculture and industrialization to breakthroughs in the arts, education, and the sciences. Images of modernity - airports, factories, and mechanized farming - mix with vistas of the capital and photographs of important revolutionary sites, such as the meeting house at Zunyi. Numerous plates also celebrate China's rich history and culture, including folk dancing, recent archaeological finds, and artworks by Qi Baishi, Xu Beihong, and He Xiangning.

• Printing: first

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