the use of models figured prominently in the political thought of mao zedong. he was convinced that everybody constantly had to be made aware of what was correct behaviour, and what conduct was deemed unacceptable; correct ideas would automatically follow from proper behaviour. this was not something mao had invented. it was based on ideas that had been developed over the centuries by chinese (political) philosophers: that people could be formed and transformed as if they were clay puppets.according to mao, when an ordinary person is confronted with a model of ideal behaviour, he will feel a desire to remake himself. this results in a contradiction between the existing values of that person and the new ones he compares himself with. the struggle between these two leads to a new equilibrium, in which the new values are internalized. but the process does not stop there: when confronted with a new model, the equilibrium gives way to a new contradiction. in this way, an eternal cycle of confrontation, internalization and renewed confrontation is created, leading to ever-higher levels of human perfection. propaganda posters were just one way of presenting models to the masses.

　　various people of flesh and blood have had the good fortune to become a model; many examples sacrificed themselves for the revolution, like liu hulan. other models merely embodied the "spirit of a screw" by blindly and obediently following superiors. in the 1950s, party functionaries were held up for study, because they demonstrated boundless love for the people, sacrificed everything they had for the ideals of the party, and were loyal and obedient to boot. jiao yulu is a typical example of such a model cadre. other models included soldiers who had died a martyr`s death in the