Chinese people’s cultural life was dominated by model operas years. Because of this, the stills of model operas became the classic visual images, which were often copied and adapted to become various handicrafts such as posters, stamps, posters on match boxes, decorative porcelain, etc. In the 1960s and 1970s, photographer Zhang Yaxin was entrusted with a lofty and essential task: shooting the model operas of far more significant political significance than their photographic value.
Model operas have been deeply engraved in China’s history due to their widespread use. Numerous copies of a physical image in such a wide range implies the strategy of popularizing culture. Such promotion was aimed only at promoting the idealistic revolutionary ideology.
