WHEN THE CHATTELS of an old China hand went under the hammer at a local auction in 1992, the 2,000-year-old Han dynasty sculptures and Tang horses fetched a few hundred dollars each. However, a lot comprising seven figurines from the Cultural Revolution - a mere 20 years old - went for what was then a staggering $2,700.
Interest in Chinese icons from the 1960s to the mid-70s has continued to grow beyond being mere collectors' items. Today, each figurine would cost as much, if not more, as all seven did then. One major recent change has been the inclusion of Cultural Revolution memorabilia - once dismissed as kitsch collectables - in the world of museum-quality fine art, as demonstrated by the figurines included in a recent exhibition at the Chinese University Art Museum of 20th century porcelain from the kilns at Jingdezhen.
Ending today, it's one of the first museum shows in Hong Kong to showcase these kinds of works.
The target of the Cultural Revolution was to destroy the so-called Four Olds: old customs, old habits, old culture and old ways of thinking. Traditional, world-renowned styles of Chinese porcelain were replaced by figurines of Mao Zedong and popular folk heroes of the time. Cao Ganyuan of the Jingdezhen Ceramic Museum describes these political figurines as 'bringing a new stimulus to the old tradition'.
Many people associate Cultural Revolution memorabilia with Mao, although there were many others subjects. A favourite was Lei Feng, a soldier who died when a telegraph pole fell on his head. Another was Zhao Xiahe, a soldier from the village of Dazhai, who held back a fully laden horse from the brink of a cliff. Women idols included Mao's first wife, Yang Kai Hui, who was executed by the Kuomintang in 1930, and intellectual Lau Wuhan.
A common theme was educated youth learning from so-called rural re-education. The occasional foreigner makes an appearance, too. Some were supporters of Mao, from other communist countries, especially Africa, or minority groups within China. There were even figurines of Canadian doctor Norman Bethune, who arrived in China in 1938. Although his stay was short, before he succumbed to a wound received during surgery, he became a revolutionary hero for saving the lives of many Chinese party members and soldiers.
Traditional Chinese operas were banned during the Cultural Revolution, and only a small number of revolutionary operas and ballets could be performed, as approved by Mao's fourth wife, Jiang Qing. These focused on the struggle between oppressors, often an evil landlord, and the people.