Chairman Mao Badges: Symbols and Slogans of the Cultural Revolution (British Museum Research Publications)

Book info: Chairman Mao Badges: Symbols and Slogans of the Cultural Revolution (British Museum Research Publications) (Paperback, 208 pages) – British Museum, 2008. Language: English.

Millions of Chairman Mao badges were produced during China's Cultural Revolution, and were worn by almost all Chinese people, from Premier Zhou Enlai down to the smallest child. Made in a wide variety of materials (aluminium, plastic, bamboo, porcelain, gold, silver, copper, iron and lead) and with an extensive range of shapes, sizes and designs, they immediately became collectors' items. To give an idea of scale, in China today serious collections start at 10,000 different Mao badges. This catalogue starts with the modest collection of 300 Mao badges at the British Museum. It is the first serious catalogue of its kind in a Western language. While Chinese catalogues assume an extensive prior knowledge of Chinese revolutionary history, this new English catalogue is designed for the beginner and specialist alike, offering a narrative history, as well as extensive glossaries of the symbolic imagery and slogans found on the badges. Editorial Reviews Review More than merely a book about badges - she has covered a complex subject in a succinct and user friendly way. If you are at all interested in China and the Cultural Revolution then I can only recommend that you get hold of this book.'
The Badger Newsletter 177 September 2008

for those who are interested in and collect this kind of thing, it will be a necessity for their bookshelves.'
Medal News November 2008

A very impressive accomplishment…formed and arranged…makes a difficult and complicated subject accessible.'
Art Newsletter May 2009