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영어

Yangbanxi("model plays") symbolize the Cultural Revolution(1966~1976) in China. The Eight Model Revolutionary Works include five Chinese Modern Peking Operas, namely, Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy(智取威虎山), Harbor City(海港), Shaijabang(沙家浜), The Red Lantern(紅燈記), and Raid on the White Tiger Regiment; (奇襲白虎團), ballets such as The Red Detachment of Women(紅色娘子軍) and The White-Haired Girl(白毛女); and a symphony: Shajiabang(沙家浜). On April 24, 1967, Chinese leaders, including Mao Zedong, saw a performance of The White-Haired Girl. Yanbanxi was performed in Beijing between May 24 and June 15 the same year. The Red Lantern was designated as a work for the proletarian classes by Jiang Qing(Mao Zedong's third wife and the most influential woman in China) and spread nationwide. It was also made into a film to be enjoyed by many people. The modern Chinese operas went a long way in their creation of visual images of revolutionary heroes. The Red Lantern, in particular, came to be regarded as the most representative revolutionary opera. In the course of such a process, Jiang Qing used Yangbanxi as a political tool for compelling the people to worship and pledge their allegiance to Mao in an effort to turn the Cultural Revolution into a class struggle on behalf of her husband. During the Cultural Revolution period, artists were made to associate with workers, farmers and soldiers based on the idea of advocating revolutionary arts for the proletarian classes. The characters in The Rend Lantern were portrayed as heroes from the proletarian classes according to the demands of the era. Chinese leaders set forth the principles of artistic expression, stressing three important factors: politics, heroes, and heroic acts, which were to be applied to all the visual arts, including Yangbanxi. This paper attempts to present a new view of fine arts during the Cultural Revolution in China by focusing on the productive significance of a leading style of a specific era in the past. To that end, this paper sheds light on products made in conformance with political instructions, stressing the importance of revolutionary heroes in The Red Lantern.