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Arts & Communication Lianhuanhua during Mao’s era

process, from questionnaire distribution to follow-ups, in this system, functioning like mutual aid libraries that
was conducted from 2020 to 2023. allowed a single lianhuanhua to circulate among many
In total, 500 respondents answered all four multiple- children. These exchanges not only made lianhuanhua
choice questions. Their responses are summarized in accessible but also became a crucial part of children’s social
Table 1. lives. Respondents often recalled discussing characters and
storylines, as well as ranking their favorite books. During
Although lianhuanhua was relatively affordable, not the Cultural Revolution, such interactions sometimes
all children could easily purchase them. Among the 500 extended to imitating plots or debating the “good” and
respondents, 439 reported that most of the lianhuanhua “bad” ideological elements of stories, reflecting the highly
they read as children were obtained not from bookstores politicized environment of the era.
but through “exchange reading” or rentals.
Rental bookstores were particularly popular in urban
“Exchange reading” was a system in which children areas, as noted by 61 respondents in interviews. These
shared materials borrowed from friends or siblings. For stores were common in cities like Shanghai, Chengdu,
instance, Ms. Chen from Suzhou, born in 1955, recounted and Wuhan, where respondents spent their childhoods.
her experience of accessing lianhuanhua through this Typically, a lianhuanhua could be rented for 0.01 Chinese
informal network: yuan. While some bookstores allowed readers to take
When I was young, I owned only ten lianhuanhua books home for up to a week, most required them to read
books. I bought them at a bookstore, but I exchanged these on-site.
ten books with different classmates. There were 35 students Ms. Ma, a respondent from Wuhan, shared her
in our class, so I was able to read more than 300 books. experience of renting lianhuanhua from a downtown
Including exchanges with neighbors, each of us could gain bookstore:
access to nearly all the lianhuanhua available on the market
at that time. (Interview date: August 28, 2020). My family lived on Hualou Street in Hankou, where
there were many shops downstairs, including several small
Many respondents highlighted the significant role lianhuanhua rental bookstores. These bookstores were
that lianhuanhua played in their childhood social typically just a single room in size. I remember one located
interactions. The books were frequently discussed and in the back room of a rice shop, where several large sheets
shared through “exchange reading,” with a shared belief were stuck on the walls. One wall was lined with kraft paper
that the ideology and emotional exchanges during this listing book titles and numbers. You would tell the shop
process were paramount. Although lianhuanhua lacked owner which book you wanted, and he’d retrieve it for you.
overtly controversial content, the process of exchanging, Then, you’d sit on a wooden bench in the store and read.
discussing, and renting these books contributed to I remember renting Hong Yan for 0.01 yuan – it was an
children’s politicization. Rental bookstores and exchange exciting experience to finally read it after hearing so much
networks became informal public spaces where ideological about it from friends. We would often exchange notes on
shaping subtly occurred among children of that time. which books were the best or most inspiring. Although for

The practice of book exchange was widespread among thinner books, the price was half that amount. (Interview
the 439 respondents, who shared similar experiences of date: October 13, 2020).
trading lianhuanhua with classmates, neighbors, friends, These memories illustrate how lianhuanhua became
and even strangers. Rental bookstores played a pivotal role deeply intertwined with the social and political fabric of

Table 1. Respondents’ choices for questionnaire options children’s lives. It served not only as a form of entertainment
but also as a subtle medium for ideological and cultural
Xinhua bookstore Rental Friends or Library exchange during Mao’s era. For the question, “How easy
or other bookstores siblings (%) is it for you to access the latest or different lianhuanhua?”
bookshops (%) (%) (%)
492 respondents chose “very much” or “quite a lot.” This
Question 1 46 (9.2) 61 (12.2) 378 (75.6) 15 (3) response reflects the popularity of lianhuanhua in China
Very much Quite a lot Generally Almost at that time, reflecting its deep integration into the daily
nothing lives of the Chinese people. This widespread accessibility
Question 2 239 (47.8) 253 (50.6) 5 (1) 3 (0.6) was largely supported by the extensive book and postal
Question 3 159 (31.8) 142 (28.4) 134 (26.8) 83 (16.6) distribution networks established by the CPC after
Question 4 202 (40.4) 200 (40) 48 (9.6) 50 (10) 1949. The Xinhua Bookstore chain, central to the book
Note: Percentages represent the proportion of total respondents for distribution network, reached even the most remote
each question. rural areas. Meanwhile, the postal distribution network,

Volume 3 Issue 3 (2025) 5 doi: 10.36922/ac.5738