The political upheaval of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, which officially began in 1966 and ended in 1976, would have a lasting and dramatic impact on Chinese art in the 20th century. The Chinese are an ancient civilization with a rich tradition of producing extraordinary works of art.
Their rich artistic heritage includes world famous paintings, calligraphy, music, opera, poetry, and sculpture. Many of these fine works were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution under the direction of political leader Mao Zedong who was the leader of the People's Republic of China during the Cultural Revolution.
During the early stages of the Cultural Revolution, Mao Zedong demanded that older artworks, generally anything created prior to 1949, be destroyed. Chinese literature, paintings, antiques and even architecture was destroyed to further the agenda of the leaders of the Cultural Revolution.
The oppression of Chinese artists and intellectuals went to extreme lengths, including torture and death. Under this oppressive environment, a majority of Chinese artists created only propaganda art that glorified the communist ideals and Mao Zedong, or they stopped creating art altogether.