White-Haired Girl

…very popular play, Baimaonü (1953; White-Haired Girl) by He Jingzhi, was taken from a contemporary folk legend. It was made a model that all writers were supposed to follow.

For example, Baimao nü (The White-Haired Girl) was developed from northern Chinese yangge folk dances into both a ballet and an opera. The heroine, an escaped concubine of a cruel landlord, symbolized all victims of feudal governments and oppressive social systems.