Culture Flashcards
Why was control of culture so important for Mao?
He believed that culture was inherently political and allowed control over people.
Who was Jiang Qing? Why did Mao appoint her ‘Cultural Tsarina’?
Jiang Qing was Mao’s forth wife and was also formerly an actress in Shanghai.
She was appointed Cultural Tsarina because of her past experience in the film industry.
What political positions did she hold?
She oversaw the cultural aspects on the revolution, including the purification of ‘revisionist, capitalist and feudalist’ influences in Chinese culture.
How did Jiang Qing control theatre?
Qing imposed strict censorship, ensuring all performances had evidence of revisionist content. All foreign work was banned and interfered with auditions, loudly contradicting the instructions of the directors.
How did she control opera?
Fuedal characters of opera were replaced by heroic peasants, workers and revolutionary soldiers.
How many operas, ballets and symphonies were allowed? What were the impact of these operas on Chinese artists and their art?
Only 8 officially revolutionary ‘performances’ were allowed which consisted of 5 operas, two ballets and a symphony.
The terror of fear and denunciation, writers, painters and musicians wither towed the Party line or stopped producing.
