Loosely translated as ‘Important Directives of Chairman Mao publicly announced since the start of the Cultural Revolution’ (无产阶级文化大革命以来公开发表的毛主席的重要指示), this book contains exhortations and quotes taken from the Liberation Army Daily. They reflect Mao’s preoccupation with the need to continue the struggle against class enemies. Red was the obvious choice of colour for the covers of books featuring revolutionary content. Associated with communism, red symbolised revolutionary zeal and allegiance to Chairman Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). More than a billion copies of books containing Mao’s essays, poems and speeches were printed from 1966 to 1976. At the height of the Cultural Revolution, these books became so important that they were even presented as wedding gifts.
