Chinese # 49 - 6 People

The poster "A New Battle Begins Here" portrays a historical scene from China's past when urban educated youth were sent to rural areas as part of the "Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside" movement. In the image, set in a typical rural village, an elderly farmer sits on a stone, introducing the rural life to five newly arrived urban-educated youth. The young individuals appear eager and determined, and in the distance, a horse-drawn cart carries a banner that reads "Welcome Educated Youth to the Countryside." Starting in the 1950s, China initiated a movement that encouraged urban-educated youth to participate in agricultural and rural development activities in villages and frontier regions. Chairman Mao Zedong's instructions emphasized that "the countryside is a vast expanse where there is much that can be accomplished," and that "it is necessary for educated youth to go to the countryside to receive reeducation from the poor and lower-middle peasants." The Chinese governm