[American Imperialists are always hostile to the Chinese people!]
- Title:
- [American Imperialists are always hostile to the Chinese people!]
- Alternate Title:
- [American Imperialists are always hostile to the Chinese people!]
- Collection:
- Persuasive Maps: PJ Mode Collection
- Creator:
- Peoples Liberation Army of China
- Date:
- 1965
- Posted Date:
- 2024-04-25
- ID Number:
- 2433.01
- File Name:
- PJM_2433_01.jpg
- Style/Period:
- 1960 - Present
- Subject:
- Imperialism
Other War & Peace - Measurement:
- 20 x 14 on page 37 x 26 (centimeters, height x width)
- Notes:
- This anti-American poster map shows a ring of U.S. bases, forces and allies arrayed around the south and east of China: Thailand, South Vietnam, the Seventh Fleet, the Philippines, Formosa, Okinawa, and South Korea. Within this ring is a Chinese "Arc of Defense." The title, in boldface at the lower right, says that "U.S. Imperialists are always hostile to the Chinese people!" Below is an explanation that "This map, published by Stars and Stripes [the American military newspaper], shows the crescent-shaped US military encirclement with its spearhead directed at us. It exposes the American imperialist plot of waging aggressive war against us." (The fact that the map appeared in an American publication would explain the text in English; the Chinese labels of certain geographic places may have been added for clarification.)
In 1965, responding to the growing success of the Viet Cong and the increasingly evident weakness of the South Vietnamese government, the United States rapidly expanded its troops on the ground in Vietnam and began Operation Rolling Thunder, the bombing of Hanoi and other northern targets. Perhaps as part of China's response, the People's Liberation Army published a set of posters entitled "Pierce Through the Paper Tiger - American Imperialism." This poster map was the first item in that set, as shown by the number "1" on the lower right.
The text in the box at the top of the poster is one of Mao Zedong's most famous quotations: "Imperialism and all reactionaries, looked at in essence, from a long-term point of view, from a strategic point of view, must be seen for what they are - paper tigers. On this, we should build our strategic thinking. On the other hand, they are also living tigers, iron tigers, real tigers that can devour people. On this, we should build our tactical thinking." The statement was made at a Central Committee meeting in 1958 and was widely circulated in the famous "Red Book," Quotations of Chairman Mao Tse-Tung, ch.6, https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/works/red-book/ch06.htm, accessed January 1, 2020.
The collection includes three anti-American Chinese maps from the Vietnam War era, ID ##2182, 2265, and 2433.
Cornell University Library is pleased to present this digital collection of Persuasive Maps, the originals of which have been collected and described by the private collector PJ Mode. The descriptive information in the “Collector’s Notes” has been supplied by Mr. Mode and does not necessarily reflect the views of Cornell University. - Source:
- Peoples Liberation Army of China. 1965. Pierce through the Paper Tiger - American Imperialism.
- Format:
- Image
- Rights:
- For important information about copyright and use, see http://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/copyright.