My mother-in-law once pointed out that in most
Chinese propaganda posters, elderly people are not represented, with
the exception of the leaders. Given the traditional veneration of old
age in Chinese culture, this indeed is remarkable.
However, as early as the 1950s, old people have
appeared in posters, although not frequently and often only in the
background. In many cases, the depiction of the elderly is used to
teach lessons in social morality and harmonious family relations.
In the 1980s, the elderly practically disappear,
except in a few posters where they are no longer pictured while taking
an active part in various activities, but as people in need of care.
Lacking a comprehensive system for old-age security, care for the
elderly will become a major problem for China in the decades to come.
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As the images above already indicate, whenever
elderly people are represented, they are usually women, engaged in
three types of activities: looking after the (grand)children; spending
time on typically feminine pursuits such as needlework; and supporting
the Army.
The last activity is intended to show the close relations between the
people and the Army. In other cases, elderly people are shown
reminiscing about the bad old days, or eating bitterness.
In a few rare instances, older men have been pictured while recounting their war-time experiences.
More often, elderly people are used as contrast with
the past, as a way to show how much China has changed, or improved,
since the founding of the People's Republic. They invariably stand in
awe of the new China.
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In the 1980s, the elderly only made rare appearances, usually showing them as people who needed help with shopping, or while crossing the street, or a more general type of care. With the decentralisation of welfare responsibilities to the communities (社区) in urban areas, the elderly have made a comeback in the propaganda, or publicity materials put out by the communities themselves: elderly women taking part in yangge dancing, elderly men participating in chess games, and both genders joining physical activities shuttleball.
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s.r.landsberger@let.leidenuniv.nl
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International Institute of Social History