Liao Chengzhi, ed., CHINA, 1959. Rare copy of the grandest propaganda publication produced in celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the People's Republic, overseen by the Ministry of Culture. Cited as a "superbook" by Martin Parr and WassinkLundgren, it is an impressive showcase of Mao Zedong's visual propaganda machine. which continued to evolve in the lead-up to the Cultural Revolution.

Hardback with cream cloth-covered boards, blindstamped with the seal of People's Republic of China, and lettered in red characters, with blindstamped decoration to the binding, 562pp., with black and white and colour photographs throughout, 390 x 320mm. Publisher unknown.

"Edited by the 'China' editorial committee, with Liao Chengzhi at the helm, this "superbook" was created in an effort to present a grand survey of Chinese history and culture, bringing together almost 550 images, including twenty-seven photographs of ancient Chinese artifacts. This book was meticulously organized, photographed, and edited into three parts, the main one showcasing the achievements of the first decade of the People's Republic of China (PRC), and the other two dedicated to fine arts and historical artifacts. Notably, it juxtaposes paintings and photographs of Chinese developments, weaving modern and traditional, photography and fine arts, into an organic whole. The inclusion of the cultural relics legitimized the Chinese Communist Party as holders of the mandate of heaven to rule. However, the book also includes images of hardships such as floods, demonstrating the ways in which the Party could help its citizens. It is a political piece first and an art book second, for which the country's resources and photographers were harnessed to produce the best possible piece of propaganda. It lacks a marked price and did not circulate in the market. Few ordinary citizens would have ever had the chance to see this material, as it was intended for foreign heads of state and national library collections. Scheduled to be completed in time for the tenth anniversary of the PRC, planning for the book started in early 1958 and coincided with the Great Leap Forward. Liao Chengzhi, Deputy Director of the External Affairs Office of the State Council, made the final approvals of the images and was the de facto chief editor. The editorial committee was a direct initiative of the national Ministry of Culture and Xinhua News Agency. It was centrally controlled and specifically created for this publication. The excutive director was Wu Wentao of Beijing Foreign Language Press, while Shi Saohua, Director of Photography of Xinhua News Agency, organized the photo shoots. Photojournalists from official newspapers such as 'Liberation Army Pictorial', 'China Pictorial', and 'Nationality Pictorial' also contributed photography and writing." -- Martin Parr & WassinkLundgren, The Chinese Photobook: From the 1900s to the Present Day, Aperture, 2015, pp.176-179.

Provenance: A private London collection