Vase; China, 1960s.

Vase; China, 1960s.
Painted porcelain; “Cong”-style vase.
Bears the stamp “China, Jingdezhen.”
Measurements: 23 x 10.5 x 10.5 cm.

A glazed and polychrome porcelain vase with a square prismatic body, a slightly flared cylindrical neck, and a circular base. Its structure follows the traditional “Cong” style, which dates back to the Neolithic period and is characterized by the combination of a square-sectioned body and a circular opening. One of its main sides depicts Li Tiemei, the female protagonist of the famous Peking Opera *The Legend of the Red Lantern*, who embodies the ideal of the young revolutionary generation, committed to the cause and ready to continue the sacrifice of her predecessors. Another side depicts Guo Jianguang, the protagonist of *Shajiabang*, another of the great model operas in the Maoist repertoire. The character, a political instructor for a company of the New Fourth Army, fights against Japanese troops during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

The joint presence of these two characters is particularly significant, as it brings together in a single object references to two of the most emblematic theatrical productions promoted during the Cultural Revolution. Both belong to the repertoire of the so-called yangbanxi or “model operas,” a collection of stage works that, under the direction of Jiang Qing, Mao Zedong’s wife, became fundamental instruments of the period’s cultural policy.

The choice of the cong form, moreover, establishes an interesting dialogue with the millennia-old tradition of Chinese ceramics. Its origins lie in the ancient jade ritual vessels of the Liangzhu culture (circa 3300–2300 B.C.), which were later revived and reinterpreted by Chinese pottery workshops.