
No force on earth can conquer the army and people when united as one
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£350.00
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Artist: Henan 27 Commune
Year: ca.1968
Publisher: Provincial Capital Arts & Crafts Literary & Art Circles Rebel Committee; Xinhua No.2 Factory Revolutionary Rebel Committee
Size (mm): 525x760
Condition: good, vertical fold marks, creases, small repair to margin on rear
The poster's title comes from a poem written by Mao Zedong in 1963 to commemorate the exemplary actions of the members of the Third Batallion of the Eighth Company, Shanghai Garrison Regiment of the PLA. Awarded the honorary title 'Eighth Company on Nanjing Road', the unit had partaken in various actions since the Chinese Civil War, often involving selfless service and collaboration with civilians to solve local issues.
After gaining recognition within the armed forces and then the country's media, the supposed heroic exploits of the company were translated into a play and a film in the early 1960s. Many of China's leaders gave praise to the unit, including Mao, who penned the poem 'Ode to the Eighth Company'. Although not publicly published until the 1980s by the Liberation Army Daily, the last line of the poem has become widely known and is often used by state media today as article headline when celebrating cooperative action between the army and the people - for example during natural disasters and the current pandemic.