On May 31, 1967, a People’s Daily editorial named eight “revolutionary model works,” geming yangbanxi, then playing in Beijing. Five were Peking operas, among them Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy and The Red Lantern. Two were ballets, The Red Detachment of Women and The White-Haired Girl. One was the symphonic Shajiabang.
From 1969 to 1972, they were filmed for release across the country. More than 300 forms of local opera adapted them. Filming, recording and adaptation were all strictly required not to depart from the model. A saying went: “Eight hundred million people, eight shows.”