Gongshe yutang (公社鱼塘) - The Commune's Fish Pound - L'étang de poissons de la commune . - Im Fischtreich der Volkskommune.

Design by Dong Zhengyi (董正谊) who was a member of the suburban commune of Huxian County, Shaanxi Province (陕西省户县城郊公社社员董正谊).
One of the most famous Huxian peasant paintings, especially popular in the West. Propaganda poster printed in the People's Republic of China by Gongshe yutang (公社鱼塘). "The fish pond of the municipality. . .", showing fishermen pulling a net abandon of fish from a pond. Title in English, French and German.

This poster is the reproduction of one of the most famous paintings by the peasant painters from Huxia, amateurs from Huxia (Chinese Region). Through the '70s, these painters were an example of "mass genius initiative". Their pictures are shown in China and abroad.
Propaganda stories about Huxian peasant painters have also been uncritically researched in Western countries, and they have even been regarded as a brilliant example of "the fall of the Western art world". Many years later, the obvious fact that these amateurs received extensive assistance from professional painters is officially recognized.

Sometimes, parts of amateur pictures were again painted by a "correctional painter". Despite all this, these works are often full of visual charm.

Propaganda posters (宣传画 xuanchuan hua ) are a rich source of visual imagery, and were printed in their thousands.
Positive, colorful compositions such as The Commune’s Fishpond adorned walls in China and overseas. Most posters carry such details as the name of the artist(s), place and date of publication, and print-run. This makes them an excellent reference source. They began to receive scholarly attention in the 1990s, when exhibitions, conferences and publications of personal and institutional collections of posters began to open up the field. There are now numerous publications about posters, as well as many websites.

This poster is a tyoical product of the "China as paradise" period. (1972-1976) The chaos of the civil war is hidden behind the optimistic images of the early 1970s. They create the impression that China is a paradise, where abundance reigns and everyone is happy. Behind the scenes, the struggle for political power continues.
But - with a few exceptions - the mass campaigns are over. Cautiously, the first luxury consumer goods are introduced. The first televisions appear on the Chinese market. (See Stefan Landsberger's Chinese Propaganda Poster Pages.)

Reference: Richard Gunde, Culture and Customs of China, page 81, figure 3.5.