Mao's way: Chinese propaganda posters – in pictures

March Forward Holding High Great Revolutionary Criticising Flag (1968) Typical woodcut-style Cultural Revolution movie poster Photograph: PR Warmly Hail the Successful Opening of the 4th People's Congress This poster is from 1971, just before Lin Biao died. He promoted Mao Zedong's Little Red Book from the very beginning of the Cultural Revolution. Scenes with people holding Mao's Little Red Book can only be seen in posters before 1971 when Lin Biao died, so this is probably one of the last posters of people holding it Photograph: PR Foolish Men Move the Mountain to Reform China (1971) Very unique early cartoon poster telling the story of the Cultural Revolution. Its name comes from a famous Chinese fable about the indomitable will of the Chinese and how generations of Chinese people will pull together and rule the world Photograph: PR Long Live Proletarian Dictatorship Made in 1971, in memory of the 100th anniversary of the Paris Commune Photograph: PR Long Live Unity of World People (1973) The title of this work comes from a lengthy Mao quotation about defying difficulties and advancing across the world to destroy monsters of all kinds Photograph: PR Bombing the Capitalist Headquarters (1976) A typical Dazibao (or big-character poster) from the Cultural Revolution period; these wall-mounted posters, painted by hand with large Chinese lettering, were common tools of protest Photograph: PR Take the Space Shuttle to Travel in the Universe This was produced in 1979, at the end of the Cultural Revolution and towards the beginning of modernisation for China. According to Chinese folklore, there is a lady living on the moon with her pet rabbit; these kids are heading off to meet her Photograph: PR