The treatment of human waste and manufacture of fertiliser from it as recommended in China in the early 1960s. Colour lithographs, 1966.

Set of six Chinese posters from the 1960s explaining how to treat human waste and the production from it of fertilizer for the fields. Linked with it are steps to ensure effective sanitary and health management in villages and the countryside. The posters were used in the countryside as part of an education campaign as human waste at the time was considered the best fertilizer and the management of such a dangerous substance had become a priority, in order to reduce disease amongst the rural populace. These posters go into much detail, for example, the discussion of required temperatures within a cesspit to exterminate bacteria, the eggs of parasites, flukes etc. There is discussion and illustration of the siting of waste treatment areas, the management of such areas etc. Behind all this detail is the propaganda message of how good life is in the countryside under the Chinese communist party. The harvest is abundant, the people look healthy, happy and well-fed and the villages are clean