As the great catastrophe in the modern and contemporary history of China, the Cultural Revolution(CR) is an object, which must have sutured the past of darkness. At the same time it is a continuous event and also a scar of memory. In other words, for history is “a dialog between the past and the reality”(E.H.Kar), CR intervenes in the reality and, on the contrary, the reality recomposes CR. From this point of view, CR is a historical event, which so far is not ended, and it is an object of memory, which is still being composed at the moment.As the saying: “Poetry is greater than history”(Aristoteles), artistic works more intensively refect the past. The works related to CR can not be an exception. And CR is endlessly exposed in the contemporary Chinese fne arts and the works of the contemporary Chinese artists—Wang Guangyi, Yue Minjun, Zhang Xiaogang and others are proved to be those who suffer from the trauma of CR and who feel no liberty from CR. For example, CR probably is a symbol showing the “identity” of the Chinese artists. And the diversity of the symbol is the experience and pattern of the dialog between artistic works and CR (i.e., intervention in reality). For example, with withering of grand-narrative and appearance of micro-narrative, the CR critical works of Guan Zhoudao were the root of the Chinese fne arts in the late 70s and early 80s. In the contemporary cultural situation, the literary works about CR actively analyzed the history (CR) from the personal point of views and explained in the way of monolog and micro-method led the 1990s’ works. In this way they tried to recompose the history “randomly”, like looking at reality with their own eyes. In this process, CR is continuously exposing new features and the real facts are appearing before us as unfamiliar phenomena. This is a way of combination and “reappearance” of contemporary arts and reality. In conclusion, the purpose of this article is to make it possible to see a section of the contemporary Chinese fne arts through the study of the icon image of CR and to analyze the way of fne arts recomposing the history and the intervening in the reality. In this sense, the author has entitled the article “Icon and Form”. It means how to reshape (the present) the typically formed icon of the CR (the past).

Yangbanxi("model plays") symbolize the Cultural Revolution(1966~1976) in China. The Eight Model Revolutionary Works include five Chinese Modern Peking Operas, namely, Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy(智取威虎山), Harbor City(海港), Shaijabang(沙家浜), The Red Lantern(紅燈記), and Raid on the White Tiger Regiment; (奇襲白虎團), ballets such as The Red Detachment of Women(紅色娘子軍) and The White-Haired Girl(白毛女); and a symphony: Shajiabang(沙家浜). On April 24, 1967, Chinese leaders, including Mao Zedong, saw a performance of The White-Haired Girl. Yanbanxi was performed in Beijing between May 24 and June 15 the same year. The Red Lantern was designated as a work for the proletarian classes by Jiang Qing(Mao Zedong's third wife and the most influential woman in China) and spread nationwide. It was also made into a film to be enjoyed by many people. The modern Chinese operas went a long way in their creation of visual images of revolutionary heroes. The Red Lantern, in particular, came to be regarded as the most representative revolutionary opera. In the course of such a process, Jiang Qing used Yangbanxi as a political tool for compelling the people to worship and pledge their allegiance to Mao in an effort to turn the Cultural Revolution into a class struggle on behalf of her husband. During the Cultural Revolution period, artists were made to associate with workers, farmers and soldiers based on the idea of advocating revolutionary arts for the proletarian classes. The characters in The Rend Lantern were portrayed as heroes from the proletarian classes according to the demands of the era. Chinese leaders set forth the principles of artistic expression, stressing three important factors: politics, heroes, and heroic acts, which were to be applied to all the visual arts, including Yangbanxi. This paper attempts to present a new view of fine arts during the Cultural Revolution in China by focusing on the productive significance of a leading style of a specific era in the past. To that end, this paper sheds light on products made in conformance with political instructions, stressing the importance of revolutionary heroes in The Red Lantern.