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. Although our display features quite a number of porcelain badges, 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.
