An Examination on Sports Broadcasting in the Reign of Mao Zedong in People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China (PRC) has continuously encouraged sport throughout the country since its foundation in 1949. To this end, the Chinese administration suggested that sport is not only a fundamental concern of Chinese soldiers or students, but that all Chinese people should play sports regularly. In this process, the Chinese administration started to use the mass media tools of that period effectively, and published materials promoting all Chinese people to sports, especially Chinese workers and peasants. Especially in the period of Mao Zedong, the founder of PRC, there was great developments in Chinese sports broadcasting. The posters, one of the most influential mass media tools of that period were used intensively to encourage sport under Mao's rule. In this study, the posters used in the context of sports broadcasting in Mao period were tried to be revealed which messages were given and which indicators were brought to the foreground. For this purpose, five posters selected from the International Institute of Social History (ISSH) used in the Mao period were analyzed by using the semiotic analysis method in the qualitative research methods. In the study, posters were analyzed on the semiotics concepts of the French linguist Roland Barthes. In the light of the findings, it was concluded that the Chinese administration tried to position sport as a routine part of daily life, and at the same time, to prepare the Chinese people into a possible mobilization via sports