In the Beijing neighborhood that I stayed in last week, I noticed a wall covered with propaganda paintings (in the US, we might call them “public service announcements”). I’m always fascinated by these paintings and/or posters as they give a glimpse into what the leaders are concerned about and what the leaders think the people should be concerned about.
These propaganda paintings are typically done in the style of “socialist realism” — sturdy, square-jawed hero conquering whatever difficulty lies before them.
But these were different. In terms of color and style, they seemed to be evoking traditional Buddhist art instead of socialist realism. I know that the government has been on a campaign to promote traditional culture and cultural values; this was the first I had seen it reflected artistically in propaganda.
Here are a few examples:
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A few years ago I had a Chinese friend in Guangdong who was adopting Bhuddism since it was a “Chinese” religion. I let him know it was from India. Another friend has adopted Confucianism constantly posting ancient paintings depicting Confuscous’s history. At some point, maybe through you, I became aware that these older Chinese beliefs were being promoted by the government while tightening up Christianity.
These are fantastic. What neighborhood were these taken in? Would like to check them out myself!
The are on Anxiang Bei Lu. Just north of the 4th Ring road; east of the Badaling Expressway, and west of the Pangu Hotel and Bird’s Nest. They are on the wall on the south side of the road.