365 Firsts: A Treasured Photographic Chronicle of 50 Years of the Republic

Author: Yang Jihong / et al.
Editor-in-Chief: Xing Yan
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-01-01
Features:
The technique of "live broadcast segments" (e.g., "live segments") has been widely adopted by radio and television and has become a distinctive style of broadcast programs, deeply favored by audiences. The NBA basketball league in the United States, the Oscars, the funeral of Princess Diana in the UK, football matches in France, the war in Kosovo, and the 15th National Congress of the Communist Party of China all transmit live to radio listeners and television audiences. People can stay at home and learn about world affairs. On the day before National Day every year, the portrait of Chairman Mao Zedong on Tiananmen Square is "renewed," and the newly replaced portrait once again becomes an important background for people to take photos. This massive portrait, covering about 30 square meters, is currently the world's largest portrait. Since 1949, portraits of Chairman Mao with different expressions have been hung on the ancient Tiananmen Tower, witnessing the storms and glories of the nation's growth.
In 1949, the author of the "Tiananmen Chairman Portrait" was Zhou Lingzhao, a painter from Hunan. Before the founding ceremony, he was assigned the task of painting a portrait of Chairman Mao for the Tiananmen Tower. With scaffolding erected on the tower, Mr. Zhou climbed up and down every day, painting until he could no longer see the colors, for about twenty days. Just as the portrait was nearing completion, then Mayor Nie Rongzhen came to take a look and suggested that Chairman Mao's tie should be fastened, not left open like in photographs. To "fasten" Chairman Mao's tie, Mr. Zhou climbed the scaffolding dozens of times again.
Postscript: On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the People's Republic, the China Encyclopedia Press solemnly launched the "365 Moments—Treasured Images of the 50 Years of the People's Republic." We hope this collection can bring solace to the founders of the Republic, honor to its builders, and pride to its successors. The collection is divided into six parts: Politics and Society, Economy and Construction, Defense and Military, Diplomacy and Exchange, Science, Education, Culture, and Sports and Athletics. Each part is primarily categorized by theme, with each category generally arranged in chronological order. The book contains 365 themes and nearly 700 images related to the themes. Most of the images are provided by Xinhua News Agency and the People's Fine Arts Press, with some from China News Service, China Image Press, and the People's Liberation Army Fine Arts Press. During the image collection process, we received strong support from colleagues at the aforementioned organizations, and we express our sincere gratitude to them here. In the compilation process, Li Hong from the Central People's Broadcasting Station, Yin Hualai, Zhang Jiansong, Gao Lingyun, and Huang Yong from the China Encyclopedia Press Editorial Department also provided us with support and assistance. We extend our gratitude to them as well. Due to the urgency of the task and the limited expertise of the compilers, some materials are incomplete due to their age, and there may still be shortcomings in the book. We sincerely welcome readers' criticism and corrections. Without permission, the image and text materials in this book may not be used arbitrarily.
Compilers, July 1, 1999