A reporter came across a unmarked museum hidden in the basement of a building in Shanghai, China. He, Frank Langfitt, observed over three hundred bright-colored propoganda posters from the Mao-Era during some of China's darkest political times. This museum has been on the down-low and was recently discovered and revealed to the public.
Frank Langfitt then interviewed the owner of the museum and a visitor who had recently come back to her home country from New York. Ruby Leung, the New Yorker, shares her thoughts about the museum and describes to Langfitt the poster series that sticks out to her the most. I interviewed Isidora Purkovic about what she thought about Ruby Leung and her favorite choice in propaganda posters:
Isidora Purkovic: "It was cool that she (Ruby Leung) came back from New York and was able to see for herself the history of her home country through the posters, especially in this cool, hidden museum."
The poster series Ruby Lueng favorited was a few very similiar, almost identical posters dating back to 1953. They show Mao standing atop Tiananmen, Beijing's main imperial gate, announcing the creation of the People's Republic of China. And as the series progresses, the officers decrease in numbers in the backgrounds of the posters.
Isidora Purkovic: "Kind of creepy how the guys in the background vanish and they don't bother to replace them in the posters."
I asked Isidora what she though about the statement Ruby made at the end of the interview ("It is a good opportunity for me to understand more about my country," she says.) and why it was important to add in the original article.
Isidora Purkovic: "I think it was important to emphasize significance of the impact it makes on Chinese people today. Because of these posters hidden from the rest of the country, it isn't really something they are proud of but it is the truth behind China's history and for it to be revealed to the public in Shanghai."
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