This wooden carving depicts a young girl listening to a radio.Chairman Mao recognised the importance of youths and children as successors of the revolution. He believed that it was never too early for them to learn about socialism. Hence during the Cultural Revolution, objects with motifs of the young studying Mao’s “Little Red Book” or reading the Chinese Communist Party’s newspapers were produced to encourage similar behaviour. These images showed the young the desirable activities they should engage in. Children were also popular subjects on ceramics and posters. Their brightness and optimism suggested that life under Mao’s leadership was free of worries. Moreover, the innocence of children has strong emotional appeal, heightening their effectiveness as carriers of political messages.
