| Susan Sontag once said that the most brilliant achievement of photographic industry is endowing us with a feeling, which makes us believe that we can collect all the things in the world into our heart-like complication of images. However the wartime photography with documentary nature is believed to be more objective and fair than words. People even predict that photography images will exceed the most detailed words description and make the short war scenes exist in the world forever. Photography will become the most authentic communicator for battlefield. However, the function of photography in war is greatly beyond the imagination of people, which is not only the honest recorder of war but also the propagandist of war.It is well known that propaganda during wartime is another war, while the photography becomes a powerful weapon of this war. The subjectivity of photography can change people’s opinion in war and guide public opinion through constructing various positive or negative images. Photography is not only the recorder of events but also the promoter of change. While the controller of the regime is the best at using signs, rituals, symbols, metaphors and other ways and taking advantages of various codes to transfer his own awareness to the public to control the public emotions and guide public opinions. Image is playing an indelible role in political mobilization as a unique form.In 1942, in the rear Chin-Cha-Chi area of anti-Japanese war in China, it published a pictorial focusing on news images-The Chin-Cha-Chi Pictorial, which is also the first news pictorial photography under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. From 1942 to 1948, The Chin-Cha-Chi Pictorial has set up 13 issues in total in these six years, which have been spread to America, UK, the Soviet Union and other over twenty countries. This pictorial is also regarded as national "War Flower" blooming in valleys. Scholar Yong Tian once evaluated this journal and reserved many precious works, which are with permanent historical value and artistic value. It not only carries the function of recording history, more importantly, it has promoted the Chinese communist war and mobilized the public to fight against the Japanese invaders during the war period with national crisis.This paper takes nine issues of The Chin-Cha-Chi Pictorial published during anti-Japanese war period between 1942 and 1945 as research objects, analyzes the characteristics presented in photography images from outside to inside and from shallow to deep as well as during this special period of anti-Japanese war, how did CPC use the advantages of image communication to make effective war mobilization and national salvation.The first chapter mainly introduces the image communication situation during the special period of the war of national salvation. Firstly, it starts from the shift of photography ideas. The photography in early China was a tool of amusement and making money, in 1930s, some photographers started to pay attention to working people at the bottom of the society. In 1937, the anti-Japanese war was bursting out and photography became the weapon for national salvation, changing from artistic expression to sound for the country and the nation. During this period, both the KMT-controlled areas and base areas have organized multiple photography associations and teams and created a series of pictorials and albums to reveal the violent behavior of Japanese army in China. On Jul.7th 1942, the liberated area also set up the first news pictorial photography focusing on military news images, named The Chin-Cha-Chi Pictorial.The second chapter focuses on analyzing 805 images published on the 9th issue of pictorial. During war period from 1942 to 1945, totally 9 issues have been published, in which the 9th and 10th issues published in December 1945 was combined issue. This paper analyzes the content as well as characteristics of images presented in pictorial from four aspects of social landscape, "theme", "formula" as well as image text.The third chapter focuses on the image of social revolution, which mainly analyzes how did the border region government of The Chin-Cha-Chi Pictorial make effective political mobilization by taking pictorial as carrier and photography as weapon. The subjectivity of image enables it to transfer information, at the same time, arouse the emotions of audience and this characteristic makes image mobilization become possible. Pictorial not only tells compassion and sympathy, wining information, national spirit of home protection and country defending, but also creates the hero myth of not afraid of death and home protection and country defending for the public. At the same time, the legitimacy transmission of regime is also an effective method for pictorial to make mobilization. No matter for the establishment of rules and regulations for border norms, or the development of economy and cultural and educational undertakings, all make the public believe that the CPC can lead China to win the victory in anti-Japanese war.The fourth chapter analyzes the metaphor of posed picture and social echo of pictorial mobilization. For photography, the most controversial point is its authenticity and objectivity while post picture has been criticized as the chief culprit for making the picture losing its authenticity. Picture can not lie, but the photographer with initiative may lie. However, during war time, due to the shortage of supplies and tension of war, post picture became an indispensable means for battlefield photographers and come post pictures have become classic works and praised by later generations. With the passing of time, these pictures become proofs for people to understand history. As the first pictorial created by CPC in border areas, it not only gained the population among people in border area, but also gained praise from the whole nation and even foreign friends, which has made great achievements in propaganda of anti-Japanese war and war mobilization. At the same time, the establishment of Pictorial has cultivated large number of photography talents for CPC and created giant image communication system. |
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