-- Written by Yi Gu
"It might seem bizarre that the most iconic Chinese image of the Korean War, or the Movement to Resist America and Assist Korea (kangmei yuanchao) as it is known in China, is not about battles but of two jolly children each holding a peace dove. Based on a photograph initially published in the People’s Daily [on 1 June 1952], We Love Peace was issued in the format of a poster. (…)
The author long credited for We Love Peace is Que Wen (b. 1923), who at the time was a young photojournalist working at the People’s Daily. (…)
On the day of its shooting, Que Wen made two important decisions that eventually led to the success of this photograph. First, among all the children present, he identified two particularly cute children, a six-year old boy, Ma Yue and a four-year old girl, Meng Yun, as his subjects. Secondly, while the two children initially played on their own, Que staged a dynamic interaction by asking the children whose dove was better. The competitive dialog between the two offered the photographer a lively moment to capture the children’s adorable innocence. The photo was deemed successful by the editors and was hence published on the International Children’s Day. (…)
Starting from September 1952, the Press printed 1,185,000 pieces of posters in the size of 530 × 760 mm and 590,000 in the size of 390 × 543 mm. We Love Peace was printed in significantly more copies than most propaganda posters, nonetheless, the great demand could not be met. Before long, black-and-white photographic reproductions of the poster were made by private photo studios, which continued to survive after 1949 by seizing profitable opportunities before the eventual abolition of private ownership. (…)
The soldiers even took oaths toward We Love Peace during difficult battles, as image of the children became one of the best concrete images to stand for abstract concepts such as the motherland and the people. The only other comparable image in its power of effect was the portrait of Chairman Mao himself. (…)
The extraordinary stories about the CPVF and We Love Peace reminds us that even the loyal subjects of the new state had tense negotiations between the self and the state. The soldiers’ requests for the children’s photographs were screaming demands, even if muffled, for affirmation of the socialist promise. Their affective responses could not be easily celebrated as popular resistance because the CPVF soldiers ultimately embraced the ideal supplied by the state. Neither should their affective responses be belittled as results of the deceiving and corruptive power of propaganda, because the CPVF soldiers’ embrace ofWe Love Peace was beyond the plan or control of the state."
