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steelproductionbecameoneofthemainyardsticksofindustrialdevelopment,andaspectsofthisconsequentlyfeaturedinnumerousposters.scenesfromblastfurnaces,withworkersinprotectiveclothingandgogglesengaginginstrenuouslaborinfrontofblazingfirestoproducethesteelthatwasneededforchina'sconstructiongracedmanyposters.
thenecessitytoproducemorethanbefore,ifnotexplicitlystatedintheslogan,wastheobviousmessage.blastfurnacesandscenesfromthemetallurgicalindustryingeneral,seemedtoinspireartistsenormously,ascanbeseenfromthenumerousvariationsonthisthemethatappearedintheearly1950s.theendproductofallthisindustrialactivity,steel,appearedinartisticrenditionsaswell,asinpostersthatfeaturedworkersthatconcentratedonmoreconcreteaspectsofconstruction.
welders,bothmaleandfemale,andworkersinlocomotiveengineworkshopsprovedexcellentsubjectsforinspiringimages,testifyingnotonlytothevitalityofchineseindustry,buttothestateoftheartofitsproductsandtothelaborenthusiasmofitsworkersaswell.
despitethestressonsteelproductionanditsapplications,notallposterswerelimitedtotheactivitiessurroundingit.suchtradesmenasconstructionworkers,bricklayersandcarpenters,inshort,thosepeoplewhowereinvolvedinchangingthewaychinesecitieslooked,alsowereturnedintosubjectmatter.themessagetheseimagespresentedwastwofold:first,ofcourse,itshowedhardlaborchangingthefaceofthenation,butsecondly,itprovidedglimpsesofwhatthenew,modernizedchinawouldlooklike.
source:
marie-clairebergère,"chinainthewakeofthecommunistrevolution:socialtransformations,1949-1966",wernerdraguhn&davids.g.goodman(eds),china'scommunistrevolutions–fiftyyearsofthepeople'srepublicofchina(london,etc.:routledgecurzon,2002)
e.stuartkirby(ed.),contemporarychina1955(london:oxforduniversitypress,1956)