Title
Badge featuring young Mao
Year/Period
Late 1960s
Region
China
Object Type
Material
Dimension
Object size: Dia: 6.1
Accession No.
1997-04958
Collection of
Credit Line
Gift of Mr Xu Cheng Bin
This badge enamelled in metal shows an image of young Mao in a Red Army uniform. Huge numbers of badges were produced at the height of the Cultural Revolution, from 1966 to 1969. Materials ranging from plastic and bamboo to gold were used to manufacture badges, but aluminium was by far the most common material. Porcelain badges such as these were actually produced for only a short span of time (about a year). Their fragility may have contributed to the decline in their production. The majority of badges feature Mao’s left profile, which was intended as a symbol of his leftist beliefs.
