Iconic and visually powerful, 20th century Chinese posters are a great way of charting the social, political and economical history of Communist China and, in particular, how it developed during the ‘Great Leap Forward’ between 1958 and 1960. Earlier posters tend to be traditional in design and imagery, depicting ancient Chinese stories and characters, beautiful women and Chinese landscapes. Examples from this era are typically worth £200-300 today.
With the arrival of Communism, this traditionalism was swept away. Internal propaganda posters in a new modern style were everywhere. Many were based on similar posters from Communist Russia, resulting in the Western appearance of some faces. These posters aimed to inspire the people to unite, build themselves up and work not only for their own good but also for the Republic.
Mao Tse-tung (1893-1976), chairman of the Communist party of China from 1945 to 1976, was often depicted. Initially, he appeared as a hard political/military leader, then a benevolent leader loved by the people, becoming an almost god-like figure as time went on. Chinese military power was also a popular topic.
The quality of paper was poor so many are damaged. Be aware that, although sizes of print runs varied, often many thousands of posters were printed and condition is therefore of paramount importance. Reproductions are common, but can be identified by the printing methods and type of paper.
The market for Chinese posters is still new and values may change. Currently, a good condition authentic Communist period poster depicting a striking image or an important message may be worth anything from £200 to £2,000, but the value may well increase as collectors become more interested in this emerging market.
