Jon Howlett

This 'Shanghai Muscle Man' picture from May 1950 in the Alamy collection raises a lot of questions! www.alamy.com/shanghai-mus...

I have to confess, the man on the left of this one better reflects my personal approach: 'Comrade, get up and exercise!'

This 'Shanghai Muscle Man' picture from May 1950 in the Alamy collection raises a lot of questions! www.alamy.com/shanghai-mus...

The PRC government encouraged citizens to improve their physical health to create a healthy, active and productive population. See this poster from 1957 poster from Chineseposters.net:

This 'Shanghai Muscle Man' picture from May 1950 in the Alamy collection raises a lot of questions! www.alamy.com/shanghai-mus...

Consider this my out of office: Beidaihe, 1979 - one of several great summer images on chineseposters.net. Looking through them has got me ready for some summer sun on my holidays...

I also really like this one from Zhang Yuqing, the master of making the socialist-realist style humane and beautiful in a way few others could. You can almost taste the 酸梅汤 (sour plum drink).

Consider this my out of office: Beidaihe, 1979 - one of several great summer images on chineseposters.net. Looking through them has got me ready for some summer sun on my holidays...

With the World Cup approaching, I thought I’d share a topical story about an underwhelming England performance: In May 1958 England were preparing for the tournament with a friendly against Portugal. Beware, warned Roy Peskett in the Daily Mail, of Augusto Rocha, ‘o Pequeno Tigre’ from Macao

Here is Rocha's page on wikisporting: www.wikisporting.com/index.php?ti... And the details of the England match: www.englandfootballonline.com/Seas1946-60/...

With the World Cup approaching, I thought I’d share a topical story about an underwhelming England performance: In May 1958 England were preparing for the tournament with a friendly against Portugal. Beware, warned Roy Peskett in the Daily Mail, of Augusto Rocha, ‘o Pequeno Tigre’ from Macao

Rocha left Sporting after only 17 appearances (2 goals), but then signed for Académica de Coimbra where he made over 400 appearances and scored over 50 goals. He retired in 1971, after 14 seasons and opened a Chinese restaurant the Lung Wah in 1979.

With the World Cup approaching, I thought I’d share a topical story about an underwhelming England performance: In May 1958 England were preparing for the tournament with a friendly against Portugal. Beware, warned Roy Peskett in the Daily Mail, of Augusto Rocha, ‘o Pequeno Tigre’ from Macao

In 1954 Rocha scored a hat-trick in Macao’s 3-2 win in the annual interport match against Hong Kong which secured him a move to European giants Sporting CP in Lisbon. (Hong Kong have won 58 of 74 interport games: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Ko...)

With the World Cup approaching, I thought I’d share a topical story about an underwhelming England performance: In May 1958 England were preparing for the tournament with a friendly against Portugal. Beware, warned Roy Peskett in the Daily Mail, of Augusto Rocha, ‘o Pequeno Tigre’ from Macao

Peskett described Rocha as ‘the Chinese Jimmy Greaves’. He had coined the nickname in late 1957 when reporting on an international army football tournament. The young Rocha had ‘bewildered our soldiers with spectacular ball work and cracked in a wonder goal’.

Last week I posted Song Qingling on a fun dove-shaped jet, so today I thought I’d stay on the theme of rocket-power in Mao-era Chinese propaganda. The most famous example of which is ‘rocket Mao’ from this Great Leap Forward poster from 1958. (1/7) #China #Skystorians #propaganda #Communism

Finally, here is Chang’e raining blossoms on an adorable bunch of space explorers in 1962. What should we make of all these rocket riders? They remind us that Chinese Communism was a modernisation project. The Leap must have felt like riding a rocket at times, before the terrible crash. (6/7)

Last week I posted Song Qingling on a fun dove-shaped jet, so today I thought I’d stay on the theme of rocket-power in Mao-era Chinese propaganda. The most famous example of which is ‘rocket Mao’ from this Great Leap Forward poster from 1958. (1/7) #China #Skystorians #propaganda #Communism

During the Great Leap Forward (1958-1962), the Chinese state rapid industrialisation and rocket imagery was pervasive. Here we see China (a worker), carrying a tablet bearing production figures overtaking the USA, a cowboy on horseback, and Britain, riding a surprised-looking ox. (4/7)

Last week I posted Song Qingling on a fun dove-shaped jet, so today I thought I’d stay on the theme of rocket-power in Mao-era Chinese propaganda. The most famous example of which is ‘rocket Mao’ from this Great Leap Forward poster from 1958. (1/7) #China #Skystorians #propaganda #Communism

This poster, which urges the masses to ‘aim high and achieve greater, faster, better’ was typical of the period (might listen to some Daft Punk later…). China got its own jets in 1956 and ballistic missiles in 1960, they were powerful symbols of the nation ‘aiming higher’ technologically. (2/7)

I happened across this cover for the January 1957 edition of China Reconstructs, an ‘external propaganda’ publication for overseas readers. Featuring a flyover from Song Qingling (宋庆龄) in a dove-shaped jet(!), it captures many of the key features of 'external propaganda' (1/8) 🧵 #skystorians #china

It captures a moment: the horrors that accompanied the establishment of a ‘People’s Democratic Dictatorship’ were justified in some people’s eyes by the promise of a brighter future. The Anti-Rightist Campaign of 1957 repressed China’s intellectuals and cultural workers, dispelling illusions. (7/8)

I happened across this cover for the January 1957 edition of China Reconstructs, an ‘external propaganda’ publication for overseas readers. Featuring a flyover from Song Qingling (宋庆龄) in a dove-shaped jet(!), it captures many of the key features of 'external propaganda' (1/8) 🧵 #skystorians #china

This cover was published at an optimistic moment, with Mao Zedong having called for a ‘Hundred Flowers’ to bloom in China. Dayton Lekner remarks in A Hundred Flowers (2025), on the colourfulness, energy and dynamism of this time. To this, I would like to add occasional silliness (dove jet!). (5/8)

I happened across this cover for the January 1957 edition of China Reconstructs, an ‘external propaganda’ publication for overseas readers. Featuring a flyover from Song Qingling (宋庆龄) in a dove-shaped jet(!), it captures many of the key features of 'external propaganda' (1/8) 🧵 #skystorians #china

Rather than railing against imperialism, much ‘external propaganda’ promoted peace and reported on the successes of 'New China' in agriculture, industry and the status of women, children and ethnic minorities. It also featured the arts, language learning, and sports. (3/8)

I happened across this cover for the January 1957 edition of China Reconstructs, an ‘external propaganda’ publication for overseas readers. Featuring a flyover from Song Qingling (宋庆龄) in a dove-shaped jet(!), it captures many of the key features of 'external propaganda' (1/8) 🧵 #skystorians #china