During the l0 years of China’s Cultural Revolution (1966-76), traditional opera was banned by Mao Zhedong’s wife Jiang Qing, an untalented actress but an effective driving force as a politician. A revolutionary, propagandistic operatic form—the “Yang Ban Xi” replaced traditional Peking opera. Eight of these carefully crafted works became incredibly popular and known in musical history as “the 8 model works. Shot in Technicolor and Panorama, the world view was of simple, happy workers and soldiers versus squinty, shady landowners and other anti-revolutionaries. For years these works had incalculable influence until the fury of the Cultural Revolution waned and Madame Mao was convicted as a member of the Gang of Four under Deng Xioping (l977-- ). The opera’s incredibly famous singers, dancers and actors became anonymous stagehands and flunkies. Since then, with the program of China’s rapid modernization and history being rewritten, the Yang Ban Xis oddly enough, are delighting audiences again. Yang Ting Yuen was born in Hong Kong. HEr Parents moved to Europe when she was five, and she grew up in Amsterdam. Her debut documentary Chin In: Life Behind The Serving Hatch was naminated for a Dutch Emmy. -Al Milgrom