Reginald Hunt was working in China as a teacher of English in the 1960s. He was one of the few foreign nationals to be in the People's Republic during the Cultural Revolution.

As China marks 50 years of communist rule, BBC News Online publishes here a selection from his unique collection of photographs - taken in 1965-66, 1971 and 1974-76 - to provide a glimpse into life in China during that tumultuous period.

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October 1966. Tiannanmen Square. School and university classes had been replaced by political meetings and parades.

October 1966. Beijing. Chairman Mao's Red Book was required reading for students from primary school age upwards.

December 26, 1966. HangZhou. Red Guards reading Mao's writings in the street despite the freezing weather. It was Chairman Mao's birthday.

Summer 1975. Beijing. The opening ceremony of the All China National Games. The image created by the crowd holding up coloured cards was one of more than 30 that afternoon.

December 1966. HangZhou. Chairman Mao's birthday was marked by a series of parades and marches.

April 1971. GuangZhou Teacher Training College. These student Red Guards put some of Chairman Mao's sayings to music.

December 1966. Hangzhou. This is a women-only group of Red Guards marching to mark Mao's birthday. Like most people they all had a Red Book.

December 1966. Hangzhou. There were many so-called Long March squads formed, with the aim of re-enacting the Long March to power of Mao and his fellow communists.

December 1966. Shanghai. Often the Long March squads would turn up in a village or town and expect to be given accommodation and food by the residents.

December 1966. Shanghai. This was a workers' parade through the streets. Chairman Mao was omnipresent - whether in the shape of his image on posters and badges or his thoughts in the Red Book.

April 1971. Guanzhou (Canton). These trainee teachers had the task of developing better crops at an Experimental Rice Station. Throughout the period school pupils would spend time each year working in the fields, to learn about the heroic work of peasants.