This cylindrical teapot without handle shows a stylised impression of Yan’an (located in Shaanxi province), which has been regarded as the cradle of the Chinese revolution. Visual representations of the place usually show a pagoda standing proudly on top of a hill. Yan’an was the endpoint of the Long March (1934-5), where a new communist base was established to counter the Japanese. During the decade in which the Communists had its headquarters in Yan’an, Mao produced most of his famous writings and consolidated his power over the party. Important sites in the history of Chinese communism were often featured on objects produced during the Cultural Revolution to educate people on the Party’s revolutionary past.
