In 1966 a socio-political movement known as the Cultural Revolution swept across the People’s Republic of China and resulted in astounding changes whose effects are still being felt by the nation today. The Cultural Revolution changed nearly every aspect of traditional Chinese culture, politics, and psychology, and replaced it with Maoist ideology. To change the paradigm of a nation with deep historical roots, immense size, and a greatly distributed population, such as China, in a course of ten years is a feat most commendable. Responsible for this mind boggling change is, at the heart of it, a single man, Mao Zedong. Mao Zedong was born in 1893 to humble beginnings in the countryside, the world itself oblivious to the future of this man (Spence). Mao’s rebellious nature came from events in his youth such as the destruction of the Quing dynasty, the political wars he played with his father, and the exposure to literature, especially that of Marx and Lenin (Clements). Mao Zedong’s rise to political power as Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party was significant, but Mao’s true power is less associated with his political tile and more with the image and the trust and esteem the nation as a whole held of him. Mao Zedong masterfully and charismatically crafted an image of himself that replaced the idea of a divine being with that of Mao in a population of nearly 800 It is comparable to the proclaiming of Napoleon as emperor in 1802. The film is a dramatic representation of Mao Zedong’s beginnings, his role in the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, and is centered on his greatness as an almighty leader. The play ends with the Internationale signifying the importance of taking Maoism and spreading it to the world. The East is Red is the official establishment and announcement to the world of Mao’s iron fist and cult of
Mohandas Gandhi and Mao Zedong were two great leaders who succeeded in many ways by their actions and decisions. Gandhi was an Indian leader and Mao a Chinese leader. However, their approach to success, peace, and ultimately, a revolution, was very different. Mao favored peace through violence, and Gandhi favored peace through non-cooperation and standing up for what is right. He also believed that these changes will be accomplished by “conscious suffering”, was the way he put it. However, despite their differences, these two leaders were similar too. They were both very charismatic leaders who successfully made it through their revolutions. Mao’s revolution led to change in class structure while Gandhi’s revolution involved India as a country, and he wanted people to realize that working together is a great way to gain independence. While Mao and Gandhi both believed that each of their countries have the need of independence, their views differed when it came to the use of violence, development towards the revolution, and their thoughts on a caste system.
The Sun of the Revolution by Liang Heng, is intriguing and vivid, and gives us a complex and compelling perspective on Chinese culture during a confusing time period. We get the opportunity to learn the story of a young man with a promising future, but an unpleasant childhood. Liang Heng was exposed to every aspect of the Cultural Revolution in China, and shares his experiences with us, since the book is written from Liang perspective, we do not have a biased opinion from an elite member of the Chinese society nor the poor, we get an honest opinion from the People’s Republic of China. Liang only had the fortunate opportunity of expressing these events due his relationship with his wife, an American woman whom helps him write the book. When Liang Heng and Judy Shapiro fell in love in China during 1979, they weren’t just a rarity; they were both pioneers at a time when the idea of marriages between foreigners and Chinese were still unacceptable in society.
China’s Great Proletariat Cultural Revolution (GPCR) is a well-documented period in world history, but the most profound records are found vivified in the literature and films later into the 20th century, respectively. One of the most profound novels is “To Live”, authored by Yu Hua, which as a fictional narrative offers both a unique and realistic sense of the time period at the individual level. However, the provocative film adaptation directed by Zhang Yimou in 1994 was formidable enough that it was banned in Mainland China. Zhang paints a more realistic picture of how the GPCR influenced Chinese society but adds zest to Hua’s ambiguity but acceptable imperfection. Naturally, the film has many different characteristics yet still manages to overcome the challenges that implicate film adaptations.
There is no better way to learn about China's communist revolution than to live it through the eyes of an innocent child whose experiences were based on the author's first-hand experience. Readers learn how every aspect of an individual's life was changed, mostly for the worst during this time. You will also learn why and how Chairman Mao launched the revolution initially, to maintain the communist system he worked hard to create in the 1950's. As the story of Ling unfolded, I realized how it boiled down to people's struggle for existence and survival during Mao's reign, and how lucky we are to have freedom and justice in the United States; values no one should ever take for
Khampa, N. C. (n.d.). The Role of Communist Ideology in Contemporary China . . Retrieved April 27, 2014, from http://jnu-matrix.tripod.com/China.html
Dressed in the drab military uniform that symbolized the revolutionary government of Communist China, Mao Zedong's body still looked powerful, like an giant rock in a gushing river. An enormous red flag draped his coffin, like a red sail unfurled on a Chinese junk, illustrating the dualism of traditional China and the present Communist China that typified Mao. 1 A river of people flowed past while he lay in state during the second week of September 1976. Workers, peasants, soldiers and students, united in grief; brought together by Mao, the helmsman of modern China. 2 He had assembled a revolutionary government using traditional Chinese ideals of filial piety, harmony, and order. Mao's cult of personality, party purges, and political policies reflect Mao's esteem of these traditional Chinese ideals and history.
Gittings, John. The Changing Face of China: From Mao to market. Oxford University Press, 2005.
The biography focused on Mao Zedong, who was China’s revolutionary, yet erratic leader. The authors portrayed Mao Zedong as a merciless leader that was behind countless committed crimes in China. Under his rule, many people referred to him as Chairman Mao. The chairman left an enormous impact on the modern day China. However, Mao’s immoral philosophy, and hunger for absolute power led to a corrupted government under his rule. The brutality committed by Mao Zedong was heavily emphasized throughout the biography.
Maoism was a profound political philosophy, it was the answer to China's problems. It was set up in the hope of a new social role and ideological stance for China’s intelligentsia.
...ism is not love. Communism is a hammer which we use to crush the enemy.” Mao did what was more important to the Chinese society no matter the consequences to achieve it. Mao did a lot of good things for China, but the overall impact was in great amount that the good part couldn't cover up the bad parts in its revolution. One of the major impacts was his bad start of “The Great Leap Forward,” then to “The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution” had to make up the losses. Many historians see this revolution was a failure, even though he did accomplish some of its goals. When Mao had power in the hands, he had to deal with numbers of interventions, from beginning to end. He faced criticisms when his first idea failed. Then with intervention of the US. At last the revolution changed people way of thinking, doing and equality. Everything was done for the good of China.
Mao’s Cultural Revolution was an attempt to create a new culture for China. Through education reforms and readjustments, Mao hoped to create a new generation of Chinese people - a generation of mindless Communists. By eliminating intellectuals via the Down to the Countryside movement, Mao hoped to eliminate elements of traditional Chinese culture and create a new form Chinese culture. He knew that dumbing down the masses would give him more power so his regime would be more stable. This dramatic reform affected youth especially as they were targeted by Mao’s propaganda and influence. Drawing from his experiences as an Educated Youth who was sent down to the countryside Down to the Countryside movement, Ah Cheng wrote The King of Children to show the effects of the Cultural Revolution on education, and how they affected the meaning people found in education. In The King of Children, it is shown that the Cultural Revolution destroyed the traditional incentives for pursuing an education, and instead people found moral and ethical meaning in pursuing an education.
Mao changed China into a totalitarian government by using fear and his cult of personality. Mao used fear by getting rid of anybody who went against the communist believes or people who stood as a threat to him. The fear made people listen to him which as a result made it easier for Mao to control the people of China. Mao used his cult of personality to make people worship him and everything he does. A way this worked was with the little red book in China. Everybody had them and everybody loved their little red book. You might say what was in this book that made people love it so much. Inside of this little book was the sayings of Mao Zedong who they called Chairman Mao. You were expected to be able to quote this book word for word if someone stopped you. If you were unable to quote it you would be sent to be reeducated. This little red book made everybody worship Mao like a godly figure. Mao loved this because while everybody worshiped him he could take away their basic human rights one by one and nobody would notice because Chairman Mao could do nothing wrong in their eyes. The political changes he made may have been positive for him, but they were negative for the people of China because they had no more basic human
Mao Zedong was born into a poor peasant family in 1893, where he grew up in the midst of China’s major political discontent and was witness to the fall of China from its past accomplishments. A love for the acquiring knowledge, Mao studied various books and soon took an interest in politics. Taking a more active political role, he brought his platform of ideals as a Marxist to lead the revolutionary Chinese Communist Party. By understanding how Mao views and interprets the world though analyzing another leader’s autobiography document with differing views and interpretations himself, a better sense of the type of individual can be found.
Mao Zedong is known as the father of the Chinese revolution. Mao was brought into a China that lacked a strong leadership. China needed someone who was willing to take charge and bring China up to its potential. Mao would prove to be the one who would take up that responsibility. As with every world leader, Mao Zedong’s tenure was a rollercoaster of highs and lows. He brought in radical change to the Chinese culture and motivated the Chinese people to work.
King, John (2006). China: A New History. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2006. Karl, Rebecca E. (2010) Mao Zedong and China in the Twentieth Century World: A Concise History. Durham and London: Duke University Press Lieberthal, Kenneth (2003).