Taiyangli, Shenyang City, China, as the model of public health: 19 scenes advising on domestic and public health. Colour lithograph, 1952.

[Shenyang shi, China?] : Dong bei ren min zheng fu wei sheng bu, 15/6/1952 [15 June 1952]

1 print : lithograph, printed in red and black ; sheet 39.4 x 54 cm

Taiyangli: Shenyang shi wei sheng mo fan zu. Wei sheng xuan chuan hua

Wellcome Collection 656891i

1. Taiyangli ('the Sun Lane') is the dormitory area for Taiyang (the Sun) Tobacco Company's workers and families, with 34 households consisting of 181 individuals. There has been no acute epidemic disease at all for three years as they paid great attention to public health. Residents are all very healthy and they refer to the street Taiyangli as 'Wuyili' ('Non-epidemic Lane').-- 2. Taiyangli was chosen as a test point for the 1951 Summer Anti-epidemic Task by the Tiexi District Government. The woman wearing an armband of 'fang yi' ('Anti-epidemic')' got full support from the manager of the Taiyang Tobacco Company.-- 3. Give publicity by classes, discussion meetings, home visits, projector slides etc.-- 4. After general discussions, the Patriotic Health Pact (ai guo wei sheng gong yue) is produced. A residential group leader Meng Fanlian is elected as the Director of the Hygiene & Anti-epidemics Committee and Guo Yuzhen (woman) as the Deputy Director. There are separate committee members for Publicity & Education, Disinfection, Quarantine, Isolation, Supervision, Inspection etc.-- 5. Group leader Meng Fanlian is very conscientious and works very hard all day for our public health, and Guo Yuzhen is also very warm-hearted. Although Guo is non-literate, she memorises firmly all meeting decisions and reports to residents earnestly. She says 'If I were to forget any single item, I would let down the government's good intentions for the people, and then I could not face you all.'.-- 6. One of the residents, Li Yuedong, does not follow the Patriotic Health Pact and emphasizes it is because she has many children and no extra time. Guo has urged her but Li does not listen and says 'You cannot meddle in our business.'.-- 7. At first, Guo was quite angry, but she later reminds herself that the Women's Association (Fu lian) had told her before 'When others are angry, you cannot be angry, but must persuade and educate with patience'.-- 8. Guo is now on her mettle, and supervises and checks dirty houses frequently. She sometimes helps them with the cleaning herself. .-- 9. At present, Li Yuedong's house, the most laggard one, also gets a clean.-- 10. The whole lane is now as in the picture: kitchens are tidy, pan lids, jar lids and chopping boards are all very clean; chopping knives, white iron pans are polished and shining; bowls, chopsticks, spoons, basins etc. are all placed in cupboards or covered by white cloths; oil, salt, sauce and vinegar are all contained in covered jars or bottles.-- 11. Since March, the beginning of the Anti-bacteria War, they have improved their organization, revised the Patriotic Health Pact and established the Women's Pest-catching Team. The team consists of five groups; they rotate the duty and go to catch pests twice a day.-- 12. They have already got into the hygiene habit. Whoever enters Taiyangli has to be disinfected first.-- 13. Wipe the floor once a day, mops and brushes have to be gathered together in one place.-- 14. Vegetables have to be disinfected before cooking; tableware has to be boiled after meals. Wash hands before meals and rinse mouths after meals.-- 15. Everyone at least once a week has to wash his or her body and cut nails. Frequently change and wash clothes, and isolate bedding.-- 16. Fix windows and doors with gauze, clean window glass regularly and frequently check blocked mouse holes. .-- 17. Do not pour out dirty water or rubbish everywhere. Every household is allotted a covered rubbish bin with a three-day capacity.-- 18. All toilets have wooden lids with lime-powder around them.-- 19. Many people go to Taiyangli to visit and learn. The Committeewoman Guo Yuzhen is very confident and says "Now, without supervision and inspection, every household is self-conscious about public health". She is pointing at the certificate awarded ("the Public Health Model Group") and saying "Becoming the Model is the achievement of all the sisters in our group"