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Arts & Communication Lianhuanhua during Mao’s era

Another significant development in the evolution of For example, the shortest book in the study, Ba Yiqie
lianhuanhua was the emergence of professional artists Xiangei Renmin (Devoted All to the People), was published
dedicated to the genre. Notable figures such as He Youzhi, by the Hubei People’s Publishing House in 1972. Spanning
Dai Dunbang, and Gu Bingxin contributed to its artistic only 43 pages, it featured line-drawing illustrations and
and thematic growth by joining lianhuanhua creation cost 0.07 Chinese yuan. The story depicts Xiao Houjun,
institutions. As Xu Changming has noted, these artists a farmer who sacrificed his life to protect a public grid.
played pivotal roles in shaping children’s literature during In contrast, the longest book, Chuang Ye (The Great
Mao’s era. Their works, including Shan Xiang Ju Bian Start), was a 208-page collection of film stills published
(Huge Changes in the Mountains) by He Youzhi, Ying in 1975 by Tianjin People’s Fine Arts Publishing House
Xiong Xiao Ba Lu (Heroic Little Eighth Route Army Soldier) and People’s Fine Arts Publishing House. Priced at 0.31
by Gu Bingxin, and Wu Cai Lu (Colorful Road) by Dai Chinese yuan, it narrated the story of Zhou Tingshan,
Dunbang, became iconic pieces within the lianhuanhua an oil worker dedicated to aiding China’s industrial
repertoire. These works also helped establish the distinctive growth while facing challenges with Soviet experts during
revolutionary line-drawing style that came to characterize Sino-Soviet tensions.
the genre. Unlike modern children’s illustrated books, lianhuanhua

Since children were a primary audience for lianhuanhua, was even cheaper than some magazines, reflecting its
the language used in the text was deliberately simple, often function as a medium for ideological dissemination rather
conversational or declarative. This language use made than as a market-driven product. 9
the stories more accessible than other forms of literature To understand how lianhuanhua communicated its
from Mao’s era, aligning with Mao’s directive that “art and messages, this study surveyed 500 Chinese individuals
literature should serve the people.” who experienced childhood during Mao’s era across 19
Interestingly, many lianhuanhua books were provinces and 4 municipalities. Respondents, born between
adaptations of novels that were not originally intended for 1945 and 1972, provided a comprehensive perspective
children, such as Hong Yan (Red Crag) and Zhi Qu Wei Hu on the books’ impact during this period. The survey
Shan (The Taking of Tiger Mountain). These adaptations consisted of five questions – four multiple-choice and one
were tailored for younger readers due to their social optional open-ended – designed to explore readership
and educational relevance, ensuring that they aligned patterns, interpretative experiences, and the influence of
with the dual purpose of lianhuanhua as both political lianhuanhua on respondents’ values. This approach offers
and children’s literature. This trend likely arose from the unique insights into the role of lianhuanhua in shaping
scarcity of dedicated children’s authors at the time and political and social values during Mao’s era, highlighting
the genre’s mission to merge ideological education with not only the affordability and accessibility of lianhuanhua
storytelling. but also its deeper function as a cultural and political
By adapting classic socialist works, lianhuanhua not instrument in the lives of children of that time. The survey
only enriched its content but also reinforced its role as questions are as follows:
a tool for political indoctrination and social education, • Question 1. Where did you typically access
cementing the position of mainstream culture and official lianhuanhua?
ideology in Mao’s China. • Question 2. How easy is it for you to access the latest
or different lianhuanhua?
3. The multiple communication methods of • Question 3. How much has lianhuanhua contributed
lianhuanhua in Mao’s era to building your knowledge and value systems?
• Question 4. To what extent has lianhuanhua shaped
The analysis of 400 lianhuanhua books included in this your political views?
study reveals their remarkably low cost, with prices typically
ranging from 0.04 to 0.31 Chinese yuan and an average The first question provided the options “Xinhua
price of 0.18 Chinese yuan – about one-tenth of the cost of Bookstore or other bookshops,” “rental bookstores,” “friends
other contemporary literary paperbacks. This affordability or siblings,” or “library.” For the remaining three questions,
was largely due to the books’ thin structure and the book respondents could select one of the following options: “very
pricing system of Mao’s era, which disregarded copyright or much,” “quite a lot,” “generally,” and “almost nothing.”
market value, basing prices solely on production costs. The An optional open-ended question invited interested
goal was to ensure widespread accessibility, as lianhuanhua respondents to describe any memorable experiences they
was viewed primarily as a propaganda tool for children had reading lianhuanhua in one to two sentences, with
rather than a commercial product. the option for a follow-up phone call. The entire research

Volume 3 Issue 3 (2025) 4 doi: 10.36922/ac.5738