The 60th anniversary of National Day celebrations is definitely one of the hottest online topics in China recently. In addition to the National Day Parade, the film The Founding of A Republic, and all the other headlines, a look back to 60 years’ cover images of China Pictorial is very popular on Internet recently.

Launched in 1950 and designed as a vehicle for presenting captivating photographs alongside informative and interesting articles, China Pictorial became the first comprehensive publication conceived after the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949. The inceptive masthead of the magazine was inscribed by the late Chairman Mao.

Take a look at these 60 cover images, they are great and visible epitome (though they are not objective enough) of key characters, works, events, and issues in the past 60 years of People’s Republic.

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1950 | The Opening Issue

1951 | The Chinese Nightingale

1952 | Young Pioneers of China

1953 | Death of Marshal Stalin

1954 | The Young Pioneers who Present Flowers to Chairman Mao

1955 | Joy of A Good Harvest

1956 | Qi Baishi

1957 | The Night in Ansteel

1958 | Secretary of County Party Committee and Experimental Field

1959 | China’s First World Champion

1960 | First Summit of Mount Everest

1961 | Death of Mei Lanfang

1962 | Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom (let a hundred schools of thought contend)

1963 | Zhu Kezhen

1964 | Film: Ashima

1965 | The Legend of the Red Lantern

1966 | The Little Red Book

1967 | Long Live Chairman Mao

1968 | The Oil Painting ‘Chairman Mao Goes to Anyuan’

1969 | Mao Zedong and Lin Biao

1970 | The PLA Army Is Ready at Any Time

1971 | People’s Republic of China Attended the United Nations

1972 | Film: The White-Haired Girl

1973 | The Tenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China

1974 | China’s First Gift to UN – Ivory Carving of The ‘Chengtu-Kunming Railway’

1975 | The Child Star in The Film ‘A Sparkling Red Star’

1976 | Death of Chairman Mao

1977 |  Study the ‘Selected Works Of Mao Tse Tung‘

1978 | Reform and Opening-Up Policy

1979 | The Growing Up of China Sports

1980 | Film: Nezha Conquers the Dragon King

1981 | Death of Soong Ching-ling

1982 | The China Women’s National Volleyball Team

1983 | Chinese University Students

1984 | China-Japan Friendly Relations

1985 | China’s Great Wall South Pole Station

1986 | China Aerospace

1987 | Chen Xiaoxu, Actress Famous for Her Role as Lin Daiyu in The TV Series ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’

1988 |  CCTV Headquarters

1989 | Tsien Hsue-shen

1990 | The 11th Asian Games in Beijing

1991 | Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant

1992 | Deng Xiaoping’s Southern Tour of China

1993 | Gong Li

1994 | Jiang Zemin and The New Generation of Central Leadership

1995 | Yang Liping

1996 |  Sister Ju Ping and The Famous National Children’s TV Show ‘Seven-piece Puzzle‘

1997 | Death of Deng Xiaoping and Hong Kong’s Return to China

1998 | Liu Chuanzhi

1999 | NATO Bombing of The PRC Embassy in Belgrade

2000 | National Centre for the Performing Arts

2001 | Migrants from The Three Gorges Area

2002 | The New Era in Media Exchanges Across Taiwan Straits

2003 | Shenzhou V and The First Human Spaceflight Mission of PRC

2004 | Liu Xiang

2005 | Hu Jintao at The Annual APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Korea

2006 | Qingzang (Qinghai–Tibet) Railway

2007 | Compulsory Education in China

2008 | Wenchuan Earthquake

2009 | A Look Back at 2008