The call “People of the World, Unite!” was a story China once told itself. When the world was polarized, the vision of global solidarity paradoxically prevailed in the People’s Republic of China during its Cold War isolation, manifested in a myriad of media categories.

“To the World” unveils the diverse and far-reaching multimedia campaign in China. Drawing from the special collection at the East Asia library, this exhibition highlights how the regime propagated its international vision inward to the domestic audience from the 1950s to the 1970, and the interplay of ideas and ideologies shaping China’s self-presentation and portrayal of other countries and ethnicities in the world.

This exhibition also contributes to a vibrant and expanding field of scholarship that has significantly advanced our understanding of China’s media in recent history. Scholars such as Andrew Jones, Christine Ho, and Jie Li have explored the complexities of culture and history by integrating media and trans media, encompassing text, photography, film, visual art, music, and radio. The objects on display—multilingual editions of the Little Red Book, vinyl records, English textbooks, cartoon illustrations, and so on—serve as primary sources for understanding media and mediation in the everyday realities of the bygone era. Thus, the exhibition invites students, scholars, and the broader public to reconsider the complexities of China’s media landscape and encourages newlines of inquiry.

Exhibition on view from September 22 to December 20, 2025

“To the World” is curated by Yue Wu (PhD student, East Asian Languages and Cultures) and Zhaohui Xue (Curator for the Chinese Collection), with consultation from Professor Ban Wang (William Haas Professor in Chinese Studies). The exhibition is generously sponsored by the Stanford East Asia Library.