yang ban xi - The 8 Model Works

A documentary musical about the rise and fall of Madam Mao's bizarre, fascinating propaganda operas during the 1965-1975 Cultural Revolution and their renewed popularity in modern day China.

These eight Revolutionary model operas were called the Yang Ban Xi. Based on traditional Chinese stories and adapted to the tastes of Mao's wife Jiang Qing Min, the first lady of the Cultural Revolution, these operas presented the world in a much simpler way. All the good guys were farmers and revolutionary soldiers, singing and dancing in the broad spotlight. All the bad guys were landlords and anti-revolutionaries with dark make-up. They were pure propaganda told in beautiful images, incorporating the most modern techniques of cinematography, song and dance. It was the only culture allowed in China for 10 years.

Although Madame Mao was ultimately convicted as a member of the Gang of Four and committed suicide in prison, the operas have recently regained popularity with the younger generation, who see it as a marvelous mixture of high and low culture. They are performed again and are now also available in Karaoke versions in the Chinese supermarket.

Exquisite original film segments from the Yang Ban Xi, combined with interviews with those who played in them at the time and contemporary performances, open a window into present-day urban China and its burgeoning cultural scene, and make for a visually striking and captivating film.