With her bright red costume and long flowing white hair, Yang Xier, the main character from the model ballet The White Haired Girl (白毛女), cuts a striking, elegant figure. She stands en-pointe with arms outstretched, in a classic ballet pose against a stylized rock formation. In spite of its Western origins, ballet was embraced by Jiang Qing and the Communist Party as a foreign form that could be used for revolutionary purposes and ultimately, serve China. Originally made as a lamp stand (and missing its original lighting fixture), this ceramic highlights the ubiquity of the model operas, which were not only played on the radio and screened across the nation, but also provided imagery for a variety of goods.
