CHINA. Jiangsu. Nankin. April 1949. As the first soldiers of the People's Liberation Army arrive in Nanking, its citizens regard them with impassive curiosity and caution. The armies of the past lived by pillaging the land. But these troops march along chanting the three commandments: "Do not take even a needle or thread. Consider the people as your family. All that you have borrowed, you must return."

La population regarde avec une immense curiosité ces soldats de l'Armée populaire. Les sacs blancs que les soldats portent en bandoulière contiennent leur ration de riz. Ils ont sur le dos tout ce qui est nécessaire à leur subsistance.