Chinese Animation: Volume 2: Revolutionary Aspects

The second volume of Chinese Animation, Revolutionary Aspects, offers a thorough investigation into the revolutionary elements of Chinese animation. It traces their emergence during the Great Leap Forward Campaign and their peak during the Cultural Revolution. This was a period when revolutionary realism and romanticism prominently featured in highly political and propagandistic films often driven by disturbing narratives. After the death of Mao Ze'dong, the aesthetic of revolutionary realism waned, giving way to more nuanced narratives that replaced the earlier radical communist content. Various films receive special attention, like Dr Gu's New Discovery (1958), The Pigeon (1960), The Rooster Crows at Midnight (1965), Red Army Bridge (1964), Heroic Little Sisters of the Grasslands (1965), Little Sentinel of the East China Sea (1973), and many more.