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Arts & Communication Lianhuanhua during Mao’s era

understanding shaped during Mao’s era. impact on them was limited. Two of these respondents

Among the respondents, Mr. Wu stands out as a were interviewed in greater depth. One of them, Mr.
particularly noteworthy case. Born in 1962, he spent his Zhang, shared that his views changed due to the education
childhood in Chongqing, one of southwest China’s largest he received later in life. He now believes that lianhuanhua
cities. In the 1980s, he went to Japan to study and later was essentially a Maoist propaganda tool, reducing
moved to the United States, where he eventually became a complex issues to simplistic messages. Mr. Zhang also
successful businessman. criticized lianhuanhua for diminishing the literary quality
of written works and the esthetics of cinematic creations,
During our interview, Mr. Wu shared that when he reducing them to shallow sermons and oversimplified
started his business in the United States, he opened a characterizations. According to him, lianhuanhua often
Chinese restaurant, Wenxue Restaurant, in honor of Liu portrayed good characters as physically attractive and bad
Wenxue, a teenager from Chongqing whom he deeply characters as unattractive, using this basic dichotomy to
admired as a child. Liu was tragically killed trying to stop appeal to inexperienced young readers. He stated:
a thief stealing peppers from a public garden. In 1970,
Shanghai People’s Publishing House released a comic “This simplistic storytelling… was more fitting for a
book titled Liu Wenxue (The Story of Liu Wenxue), which closed society. I find lianhuanhua quite ludicrous. After
reportedly sold two million copies, making Liu one of the attending college in 1978, working at a newspaper, and
most famous teenagers in 1970s China. Mr. Wu remarked: later at a university and becoming a professor, I realized
that during my childhood, I consumed what now seems
I have admired Liu Wenxue since I was a child. His story like literary garbage. Although many young people
is so moving! As a child, he did not have an exaggerated today reportedly feel nostalgic for lianhuanhua, to me,
sense of consciousness but simply understood that some it’s intertwined with memories of the masses’ hardships,
things were wrong and chose not to do them. I remember making it difficult to appreciate purely for its esthetics.”
that every time I read the lianhuanhua book Liu Wenxue, I (Interview date: August 4, 2023).
could not help but cry, with tears streaming down my face.
He was a product of Chairman Mao’s era – a truly pure and Another interviewee, Mr. Pan, shared a more moderate
innocent child. Children today need to be taught how to view. He stated that lianhuanhua briefly influenced him but
remain calm and mind their own business. This society has noted that, unlike Mr. Zhang, he did not consider himself
turned bad, but how does a society become bad? It’s not the a professional reader and therefore could not critically
society itself – it is the adults who are at fault! That’s why analyze his childhood reading memories. Nevertheless, he
I named my child “Xuewen,” hoping that their generation also believed that lianhuanhua had limited literary value.
will remember Liu Wenxue and the values he stood for. Overall, lianhuanhua significantly shaped the political
(Interview date: April 20, 2020). views of those who grew up during Mao’s era. For many

Research by Suma et al. confirms that childhood born in the 1940s – 1960s, these picture books were
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reading has a deeply ingrained and enduring impact, instrumental in forming their early political beliefs and left
shaping a person’s political views and values throughout a lasting impact on their perspectives and roles in Chinese
their life and influencing those of their family. In this society.
context, lianhuanhua served as an effective political
education program for children. Its ideological influence 5. Conclusion: Has lianhuanhua
extended beyond childhood, shaping lifelong beliefs. disappeared?
Notable authors, such as Jia Pingwa, have reflected on This study analyzed 400 lianhuanhua books and interviewed
this influence, describing it as “drinking wolf’s milk,” a 500 individuals to examine the role of lianhuanhua in
metaphor for the profound impact of Maoist teachings on shaping the political views of Chinese children during
their generation’s mentality – for better or worse. Mao’s era. The findings suggest that lianhuanhua played a
It is worth noting that some lianhuanhua titles, such significant role in fostering children’s worldviews aligned
as The Sinful Manor and The Cock Crows at Midnight, with the ideological demands of the CPC. The connection
employed exaggerated narratives for political effect. While between Chinese children’s literature and political
later revelations showed that figures like Liu Wencai and enlightenment can be traced back to lianhuanhua.
Zhou Bapi were not as evil as portrayed, many respondents Theoretically, this reflects a significant example
still found these stories effective in conveying anti-KMT of predominant socialization in China. Predominant
sentiment. socialization theory posits that a person’s pre-adulthood
However, 40% of respondents stated that lianhuanhua’s socialization is shaped by the classroom, family,

Volume 3 Issue 3 (2025) 8 doi: 10.36922/ac.5738