Story of the Red Army 2004

Liu Jieqiong's Story of the Red Army 2004 was created for 'The Great Survey of Paper-cuttings in 'Yanchuan County', a survey begun by the Long March Project in 2004. Liu's work expands the traditional folk art of papercutting to engage with the history surrounding the creation of the People's Republic of China.

Liu was born in Yanchuan County in Yan'an, Shaanxi Province, an area renowned in China for its traditional papercuts, which have existed as an integral part of everyday life for thousands of years. They are still commonly used to decorate houses and to celebrate festivals, holidays, births, deaths and marriages. The region is also known as the location where Mao Zedong's Red Guard completed their arduous march and subsequently established a new regime.

Chinese papercuts are often elaborate pictorial narratives in which visual symbols convey detailed meanings. This complex language conveys much of the meaning in Liu's narrative of the Red Guard's presence in Yan'an. In the first six panels of this twelve-panel work, soldiers arrive in the wake of battle, carrying guns and flags. In subsequent panels, a life of peace and order is established, evident in symbols such as bats and deer, which signify good fortune and prosperity. Other symbols represent strength and vitality (the rooster), surplus (fish) and wealth (peony).