The Legend of the Red Lantern is one of the Eight model plays, the only operas and ballets permitted during the Cultural Revolution in China. The official Version was that of a Beijing Opera, it was additionally adapted to a piano-accompanied cantata by pianist Yin Chengzong formed by a cycle of arias extracted from the opera itself. Written during a time of political upheaval in China, the play has strong political overtones reflecting the times it was written in, it has nonetheless managed to remain popular to this day
