A huge exhibition of original Chinese propaganda posters has gone on display in Hong Kong, giving visitors a fascinating insight into the work of mainland’s propaganda machine from the early 1950s, right up until the handover of Hong Kong and Macau in the late 1990s.

Revolutionary Fervour, at the Picture This Gallery, is believed to be the largest collection of vintage Chinese propaganda posters to go on show in Hong Kong, according to gallery owner Christopher Bailey.

Watch: Curator Christopher Bailey explains how the posters came to be 

More than 70 originals are being shown, touching on a range of subjects, including North Korea, the handover of Hong Kong and the condemnation of the ‘British imperialists’ in the late 1960s.

“The genre of early posters are what we would call general propaganda to encourage people to look after their bodies, visit the doctor, look after the tools in the factory, repair things that are broken, use resources well,” said Bailey.

"We also have one very early poster from 1951 which is at the time china was supporting North Koreans in the Korean war and it actually depicts chinese soldiers arriving at the border and being welcomed as heroes to come and support the Korean war effort.”