During the "Cultural Revolution"(1966-1976), the development of folk toys ground to a halt and most toys disappeared altogether. Spring Festival, without kite flying, crackling pinwheels, woolen chickens and the Changdian Temple Fair, was a quiet affair. Nobody dared to play the diabolo any more. Young people and folk toy makers turned their attention to revolution. Since the traditional folk art was considered feudal and bourgeois, veteran artisans were criticized and denounced. Some of them were forced to do dirty jobs like cleaning toilets and some were even tortured to death. As a "reactionary", I was subjected to criticism, denounced and locked up in a detention center for seven years.
