Red Flowers for Hero Models

This poster is a classic example of propaganda from the Cultural Revolution era in China, dated December 1978. The title “Xianhua Song Mofan” translates as “Flowers for Heroic Role Models”.

Meaning and Context

The poster was created by the artist Wang Kewei and published by the People’s Fine Arts Publishing House. Its purpose was to promote socialist ideals by presenting exemplary citizens as role models for society to follow:

Heroic Role Models

The image shows a cheerful child offering a large paper flower (similar to a pompom used in celebrations) to a group representing different sectors of society, including a soldier, workers, and an elderly man.

Social Idealization

At the time, these posters did not record true reality, but rather an idealized version or a glimpse of a utopian future. The figures are portrayed as strong, healthy, and radiant to encourage morally correct behavior and enthusiasm for the communist system.

Symbolism

The child symbolizes the “flower of the fatherland” and the hope of the people, a recurring theme in Chinese propaganda of that period to motivate younger generations.

This type of art was a fundamental political tool for disseminating the principles of the revolution and uniting the population around collective goals of economic prosperity and service to the State.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges

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