The 10 years of Chinese Culture Revolution in China definitely can be written as a very thick book. It is such a sensational political event, but the young generation of China rarely knows about this history or it is hard for them to access any information about it due to government control.

 

In 2009, I decided to choose this topic for my senior project due to my long-term curiosity. It was a challenge that I was under so much pressure to take on this sensitive topic; however, I fortunately obtained the supports from all of my European professors. I am still glad and proud of myself that I have made this project.

 

Concept: The main object that I designed for is a group of Chinese students who played vital roles during the Culture Revolution. They were called “The Red guards”. These students were very young, passionate and sincerely loved the country.

 

This book is designed based on my own research and understanding about the red guards, what they did, what they thought, and what they believed.

 

In China, a red guard is definitely not a good title any more. People always think China was in a mess because of the red guards’ active but sightless support of the revolution. As a group of students (most of them were in college), they were used by the negative side hidden in the government. They destroyed countless and priceless Chinese cultural treasures, and unreasonably punished many Chinese artists, scholars, and teachers. There are still lots of bad comments about the red guards whenever I talk to my grandparents’ generation.

 

However, from the perspective of a student, I understand we have enough passion and we were looking for who we are and what we want during the golden age. The mistake that the red guards made is unforgivable and brought about by their wrong value system, but it is also a warning to all of the Chinese young generation who are at school and looking for themselves.  What I want to deliver from this project is that should not let anything bad waste your passion. We should always positively insist on ourselves and be responsible to make the right decisions in each crucial moment in our lives.

 

This is the senior Project for my previous college in China. It is based on my research and understanding of the Red Guards in the Chinese Culture Revolution.

 

Creative Solution: I structured this book into five parts: Red guards (Presenting where the red guards come from and why); Red Storm (Describing what the Red Guards did during the revolution); A life lesson (what they have learned form what they did in the revolution ); When it becomes memory (Presenting a personal journal form an old red guard based on his memory during that 10 years). I copied the journal with my own handwriting and used the vintage paper texture for the diary book from 1960s China; for the fifth part, I attached the brief description in English for each chapter.

 

In order to emphasize MY understanding about the Red Guards and Culture Revolution, I took myself as the model for the photoshoot for providing visual elements to this book.

 

Concept: Maggie Shiyao Peng

Photography Director and model: Maggie shiyao Peng

Makeup and Props: Maggie Shiyao Peng

Designer: Maggie Shiyao Peng