China: A scene from the revolutionary ballet 'The Red Detachment of Women' which came to...

The Red Detachment of Women (Hongse Niangzijun) is a Chinese ballet which premiered in 1964. It is perhaps best known in the West as the ballet performed for U.S. President Richard Nixon on his visit to China in February 1972. Adapted from the earlier film of the same title under the personal direction of Zhou Enlai, which in turn was adapted from the novel by Liang Xin, it depicts the liberation of a peasant girl in Hainan Island and her rise in the Chinese Communist Party. The novel was based on the true stories of the 100+ member all-female Special Company of the 2nd Independent Division of the Chinese Red Army, first formed in May, 1931. As the communist base in Hainan was destroyed by the nationalists, most members of the female detachment survived, partially due to the fact that they were women and easier to hide among the local populace who were sympathetic to their cause. After the communist victory in China, the representatives of the surviving members were taken to Beijing and personally inspected and praised by Mao Zedong. The ballet was especially favoured by Jiang Qing (Madame Mao).