No matter how many words a picture is worth, people have and will continue to enjoy their pictures with stories. Thus, while propaganda posters were being churned out by the million on the People’s tab, and rustic Guo Hua was the avowed ideal of the politically correct, the individual paid for lianhuanhua, comic books. These three by five inch pocket books became popular in the late 19th century, after the introduction of Western printing technology. The term lianhuanhua [linked pictures] came with their mass consumption in the Shanghai of the 1920s.

Early leaders of the PRC knew not only the immense mass appeal of lianhuanhua, but also what a powerful tool it could be to educate people. Prior to 1949, available titles and series were “violent, superstitious, and pornographic”. State control of the genre produced the following examples of true Chinese, 1950s pop art.

That day, she seriously studied Memoirs of Dr. Norman Bethune. It had been snowing since morning. She looked out of the window and remembered how old and sick Grandpa Ah-gen was. She thought she should go over and visit him.

Everywhere Wei Ying went, she always carried a box of medicine, and taught farmers about practical health and hygiene. As a result, the people knew and loved her as "the Barefoot Doctor".

He got so excited that he shouted, "The status of the revolution has completely changed! Following the leadership of Chairman Mao and the Communists, the army has already changed from defense to offense. The army should go South now."

Joe Lenin saw all this with his own eyes. If sister Nadia hadn't stopped him, he would have run in to fight the bullies.

Joe Lenin ran away from the hospital. He didn't want to hide at home; he wanted to find a high vantage point from which to see how the enemy had desecrated his lovely city. While he was walking, a strange thing happened. He had to stop.

The sunset stained the surface of the ocean red. The platoon started their journey to discover the enemy's plan and how best to prepare for the next battle.

The platoon decided that, based on class warfare, they should keep up army training and be prepared for submarine warfare. At the same time, they would go visit fishermen, and use the people's observations to discover the enemy.

BAREFOOT DOCTOR

STORMY ISLAND

THE YOUNG GUARD

AQUATIC TRAFFIC STATION