Originally published in:
The 40th Anniversary of Shanghai People's Fine Arts Publishing House (Shanghai: Shanghai renmin meishu chubanshe, 1992), p. 11

The Editorial Office of New Year Pictures and Picture Posters was set up in 1958 with the integration of the former Editorial Department of Shanghai Picture Publishing House and the Picture Poster Section of the Editorial Office of Fine Arts of Shanghai People's Publishing House of Fine Arts. It has now 19 editors and writers including 5 senior editors and 14 editors, assistant editors and other editing workers backed by dozens of expert and amateur poster picture artists.

Over the years, the office has edited and produced more than 3 thousand kinds of New Year pictures and calendar pictures with the total printing number of 2.5 billion sheets. All of them are of high artistic quality and with the characteristics of Shanghai local style. Many excellent works such as THE BUMPER HARVEST OF VEGETABLES by Jin Meisheng, EAGLE-CATCHING-CHICKEN GAME by Li Mubai, WU SONG STRIKING THE TIGER by Jin Xuechen, THE GODDESS OF THE LUO RIVER by Xie Zhiguang, A MILLION BOLD WARRIORS CROSSING THE YANGTZE RIVER by Zhang Biwu, etc. are welcomed by the masses. In all previous National Awards of New Year Pictures, 23 New Year Pictures published by our publishing house won the First, Second and Third Prizes respectively. In the Sixth National Exhibition of Art Works, the picture of THE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM WINNING THE CAMPIONSHIP won the Prize of Honour of New Year Pictures. It also won the Silver Medal of the First National Award of the Best Books of Fine Arts while THE AUTUMN MOON AND PIPA won the Copper.

The office has produced over 2 thousand kinds of picture posters totaling about 30 million printing sheets which have played an active role in the publicity of the political line of the party and the nation in each historical stage, the moral education among the youngsters and the demonstration of the great achievements in the socialist construction of the four modernizations. In the National Exhibition of Picture Posters, the pictures of BOOKS - THE WINDOWS OF KNOWLEDGE, THE PROFOUND FEELINGS BETWEEN THE ARMY AND THE PEOPLE ARE AS PERMANENT AS THE YAN RIVER and HOPE TO SEE YOU EVERYDAY won the First and Second Prizes respectively. The pictures of PROSPERITY and PAY ATTENTION TO SANITATION AND HYGIENE AND BEAUTIFY THE SCHOOL CAMPUS were commended as the Best Works in the Third World Exhibition of the Best Posters held by the United Nations. In the National Poster Picture Awards held in 1984 and 1990, Qian Daxin, Ha Qiongwen and Weng Yizhi - the wellknown artists working in our publishing house, were cited with the Prize of Honour by the Publishing Workers Association of China and the Artists Association of China.

The office is now working on a series of books of special consideration such as the series New Year pictures of LOVE OUR MOTHERLAND - CHINA, the posters for the East Asian Games and A PICTURE HISTORY OF SHANGHAI CALENDAR PICTURES AND NEW YEAR PICTURES, etc. in an effort to elevate the quality of Shanghai New Year pictures and picture posters to a new level.

p. 11

The photographs published with the article:

Li Mubai, The autumn moon and pipa

Zhou Ruizhuang, Prosperous and flourishing

Ha Qiongwen, With the best spirit achieve the best result