12/3/2008 – 16/6/2008

1/F Lobby, Hong Kong Museum of History

Jointly presented by the Leisure & Cultural Services Department and China Archives of Publications
Co-organized by the Hong Kong Museum of History and Peace Culture Exchange Centre

Propaganda posters can trace their origins to advertisements, playbills and outdoor wall murals. The advertising of merchandise is to serve commercial interests. Propaganda posters, on the other hand, are mostly politically inspired or for public interest, serving government institutions, the community and the masses. Through a retrospective of the development of propaganda posters in China, we can see a number of visual art forms contributing to the artistic techniques and styles of propaganda posters. Propaganda posters are witnesses to the past, imprints of everyday life, icons of social culture of the time and depictions of people's pursuits of better lives. Featuring about 60 new year prints, calendar posters and propaganda posters of the 20th century, it is hoped that the audience could appreciate not only the unique artistic charm of propaganda posters, but also, through the story of their evolution, gained an insight into the vicissitudes of Chinese history.