墨写的谎，决掩不住血写的事实.

“Lies that were written in ink can never cover up the truths that were written in blood.”

Lu Xun (1881-1936) 鲁迅

 Writer and activist Lu Xun was instrumental in promoting woodblock prints as a means of popular political criticism. The New Woodblock Movement of the 1920s-40s married traditional Chinese woodblock techniques with a newly acquired Western aesthetic favoring black and white imagery. Subject matter changed from auspicious symbols to narrative scenes depicting daily life. Subtle subtexts interrogated the status quo, as seen in the 1940s depiction of burning land deeds and people combing the ground for any bit of food.

The war-induced chaos of the 1940s gave way to order with the declaration of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. Day-to-day activities highlight the government’s appeal to return to normalcy. Images of farmers are used on the main page of the 1949 and 1950 calendars, revealing the Communist emphasis on agrarian life. Other calendar images highlight additional agendas, such as a literacy campaign, teaching the masses how to vote, and military support from the people. Moving away from the black-and-white aesthetic of the New Woodblock Movement, the Communists embraced the hopeful, colorful woodblock print traditions of the past, reimaging them with new socialist political and cultural messages.

Jiaxiu Tower Liang Yongtai梁永泰 (1921-1956 Set of two woodblock prints, 1944	Night March Liang Yongtai梁永泰 (1921-1956) Set of two woodblock prints, 1944	Calendar 1949 Anonymous Woodblock Print
Calendar 1950 Anonymous Color rotogravre	Burning the Old Land Deeds Gu Yuan 古元 (1919-1996) Woodblock print, 1940s	Settling Accounts Gu Yuan古元 (1919-1996) Woodblock print, ca. 1940
Settling Accounts Wang Bing 王冰 Color rotogravure, 1950	Voting with Beans Gu Qun 顾群 (b. 1928) Woodblock Print, 1949	Electing Representatives Li Qun 力群 Woodblock Print, 1949
Learning Culture Wang Bing 王冰 Color rotogravure, 1950	Elections Wang Bing 王冰 Color rotogravure, 1950	Learning Culture Deng Shu 邓澍 Woodblock Print, 1949
Electing with Beans Yan Han 彦涵 Woodblock print, 1940s	Divorce Case Gu Yuan古元 (1919-1996) Wood block print, 1940s	Ma Xiwu Mediates a Marriage Case Gu Yuan古元 (1919-1996) Wood block print, 1940s
Joining the Army Hong Bo 洪波 Woodblock print, 1949	Support the Army, Love the People Anonymous Color rotogravure, 1950	Family Reunion Wang Bing 王冰 Color rotogravure, 1950
Children Thanking the Army Zhang Ding 张仃 Woodblock Print, 1949	Dividing the Harvest Yan Han彦涵 Woodblock Print, 1947	Plucking Wild Vegetables to Prepare against the Famine Guo Jun郭钧 Woodblock print, 1940s