Shades of Mao: The Posthumous Cult of the Great Leader (70 page)

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Authors: Geremie Barme

Tags: #History, #Asia, #China, #Literary Criticism, #Asian, #Chinese, #Political Science, #Political Ideologies, #Communism; Post-Communism & Socialism, #World, #General, #test

BOOK: Shades of Mao: The Posthumous Cult of the Great Leader
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Page 228
Martial Mao
While the more studious might peruse books about Mao, the general reading public relied for their information on the tabloid press and magazines with eye-catching covers and headlines which were sold at bookstalls that dot the cities and at train and bus stations throughout the country.
Below is the editorial note and contents page of one such publication, a special issue of
On and Off the Silver Screen (Yinmu neiwai),
published in Chengdu, Sichuan, in November 1993. Entitled
True Tales of the Adventures of Mao Zedong,
it was ostensibly produced "to commemorate the Mao Zedong Centenary."
The prose used is the doggerel classical style favored by martial arts novelists, storytellers, writers of tales of court intrigue and popular Republican-period histories further peppered with the revolutionary bravado of Party propaganda. This bastardized style can be contrasted with Wang Shuo's comic use of Party language (see "MaoSpeak" above).
The translation is literal and no attempt has been made to explain the numerous historicaland in some cases hystericalreferences in the piece. The obsequious sincerity of the editors is in striking contrast to the sensational contents of the actual magazine.
1
Editorial Note [You Zhi]
One hundred years ago, in the land where the Emperor Shun heard the music of Shao,
2
a baby boy was born. Who would have thought that the peasant lad who left behind the hills of His homeland would be the Greatest Man of His generation, a man who initiated a new age?
Did history produce Him, or did He write history?
His name wasMao Zedong!
Suddenly, seventeen years ago, Mao Zedong took His leave. However, His majestic body, His resonant Hunanese voice, like His name and the enterprise on which He embarked, are today still as lustrous as the sun and moon regardless of whether He is living or dead.
It is for this reason that we cherish His memory and commemorate Him.

 

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We mourn Him with baneful songs and sorrowful tears. Not only because He is the Leader of the People, but even more so because He is the People's Son. He went from being a man to become a god, to return once more to the People as an outstanding individual.
The history of modern China was written for Him; the history of China's future will be possible because of Him.
His name wasMao Zedong!
He was a man of flesh and blood, a man with a rich emotional life. He was a man of chivalry and honor, a man whose spirit filled the very heavens. He was a man of prodigious foresight, a man limited by neither time nor space.
Daring and wise, transparent and complex, a realist and an idealist, stubborn and creative, all of these things went to make up the unique spirit of Mao Zedong. His uniqueness informed the 83 years of His life and gave birth to the eternal legends of His greatness.
We have edited this special edition of our magazine on the eve of His centenary as an expression of our collective respect for His memory. Through our magazine we hope to offer the youth of today a paragon of revolutionary leadership from which they can learn.
Contents
The Autumn Harvest Uprising (film synopsis)/p. 52
Amazingly, this film is about the Great Man's military defeat in Hunan. It's a truthful account of how the Leader ignored the Committee's directives and sent the local despots packing. As the autumn harvest approached He took command and was alone possessed of wisdom at a time of violent tempests.
The Chongqing Negotiations (film synopsis)/p. 50
''. . . if I, Mao Zedong, can spare China civil war by offering up my life and save the people from shedding blood, then I am willing to be taken prisoner by Chiang Kai-shek." The People's Leader faced disaster bearing the responsibility of the whole nation; facing down the enemy leader this Revolutionary Giant analysed history past and present.
Jinggang Mountains (film synopsis)/p. 88
After the failure of the Autumn Harvest Uprising the Great Man takes to the Jinggang Mountains. In re-organizing the army the Leader reveals a strategic genius upon which the one-thousand year enterprise will be built. Herein we see the storms surrounding the birth of the People's Leader and witness the struggles that led to the growth of the People's Army.

 

Page 230
Mao Zedong's Pronouncements Amaze the World/p. 4
A middle school girl student commits suicide and His fury knows no bounds! In the depths of agony He reflects deeply and produces one astounding article after another on suicide and young love. Each is like a spear aimed at the very heart of the boundlessly evil old society and feudal concepts.
Mao Zedong was a Casual Laborer/p. 21
The expression "casual laborer" is one that annoys people today and one would think it has nothing in common with the name of Mao Zedong. But, in reality, in His youth Mao Zedong had to make a living and this was an important way for Him to undertake an in-depth study of the society. Even more amazing is the fact that "casual laborer" is a term that is inextricably linked with Mao Zedong's young love and wife Yang Kaihui, as well as with the names of such famous modern figures as Li Dazhao and Cai Yuanpei.
Mao Zedong Causes an Uproar at Xinhua Gate/p. 32
Zhang Jingyao, the Hunan bandit warlord, was making mincemeat of the local populace, burning, butchering and pillaging. The homeless and destitute wandered the countryside. To punish and expel Zhang Jingyao, Mao Zedong led the Hunan students to Beijing and organized a protest of 70,000 people to create an uproar outside Xinhua Gate to force the Northern Government to deal with Zhang. The bureaucrats fled in terror. This was the first major act Mao Zedong initiated involving Himself in the affairs of state. It took the capital by surprise and shook the whole of China!
Mao Zedong Gives a Loutish Soldier a Knuckle Sandwich/p. 38
From His youth Mao Zedong admired the heroes of the past. He was outraged by injustice and fought for redress, His chivalry was known throughout the land. He throws the Mao Family Temple into uproar when He beats up a loutish soldier and local punk. . . . Time and again, delighting one and all, disheartening the vile troops and thugs in the area. From [1930 when He wrote the lines of poetry] "In June Heaven's armies chastise the corrupt and evil/ Seeking to bind roc and whale with a league-long cord"
3
right up to the time He founded New China, His whole life is a depiction of the sublime chivalrous spirit!
The Highest Military Rank Mao Zedong had was Company Commander/ p. 44
Mao Zedong was the natural commander of the Party, the Nation and the

 

Page 231
Army, but He never got beyond the rank of company commander. Believe it or not, it's the truth. Mao Zedong once remarked to Edgar Snow: "Now they call me the Great Commander. It's absurd! Frankly, the most I've been is company commander. . . ."
Mao Zedong's Strategic Invasion of the Temple of the Heavenly King/p. 48
Mao Zedong had a provocative personality: if He knew there was a tiger in the hills, He would still go marching forward. Large numbers of troops prepared an ambush around the Temple of the Heavenly King in the hope of taking Mao by surprise. But Mao Zedong, a man possessed of superior wisdom and courage, refused to take another route; He was determined to walk straight into the jaws of the tiger. . . . All of those who were with Him were in mortal fear for His safety!
Mao Zedong Established "The Republic of Hunan"/p. 66
"The Republic of Hunan" struck China like a thunderbolt. Mao declared that the only hope for China was for it to be divided into 27 countries. Mao Zedong and Peng Huang proposed establishing "The Republic of Hunan." It would have been the equivalent of an American state or a French
département.
Mao Zedong cried out: Oppose unity! Chen Duxiu lent Him support. Mao shouted out: "Long live the Republic of Hunan!" He was prepared to fight to the death for the republic!
The Inside Story of the Assassination Attempt on Mao's Life/p. 76
Mao Zedong survived numerous perils. This particular attempt on His life was neither a plot authored by the secret agents of the KMT, nor a scheme of the reactionary warlords. The plotters were traitors within the ranks of our own revolutionaries. The pitch-black muzzle of the gun, an evil assassin and Mao with His back turned. . . . At that crucial instant, another body appeared between Mao and the gunman. This article reveals in exact detail the inside story of this historical episode. It will terrify you and it will make you reflect!
Mao Zedong Loses Control Over the Army/p. 82
In the chronicles of Communist Party history, the Ningdu Conference is shrouded in mystery. That is because it was a time when all firepower was concentrated on criticizing Mao Zedong and stripping Him of His military command. This incident has always been off limits for historians. But in this article the whole truth is revealed in the hope that the original mien of history can be restored.

 

Page 232
The Real Mystery of "8341" has Nothing to do with Superstition/p. 86
"8341," these four numbers are connected with Mao Zedong. But superstition has made a mystery of them, and for years they have confused and beguiled a great number of Chinese. Mao Zedong was a believer in materialism. "8341" had nothing to do with superstition. This article collates a large body of historical fact to reveal finally the truth of this mystery. . . .
4
Other articles:
Originally Mao wanted to be a policeman/p. 7
The demonstrations that Mao organized and led/p. 26
Mao Zedong's first big character poster/p. 10
The first military campaign Mao led/p. 45
Mao Zedong's record of battles during the Xinhai Revolution/p. 13
Which martial hero did Mao Zedong admire most?/p. 54
The trouble Mao Zedong's "critical friend" got himself into/p. 18
The secret of the relationship between Mao Zedong and Zhou Zuoren/p. 58
Mao Zedong was a representative at the First Congress of the KMT/p. 19
Mao Zedong nearly became the Party Secretary of Sichuan Province/p. 64
Notes
1. See also, Scharping, "The Man, the Myth, the Message," p. 178.
2. According to legend, Emperor Shun heard the music of Shao in this area of Hunan during a tour of the South. Thereafter the place was called Shaoshan, "Mount Shao." Shaoshan was Mao's birthplace.
3. Mao Zedong, "Cong Dingzhou xiang Changsha," in
Mao zhuxi shici,
p. 37. For this English translation, see "March from Tingchow to Changsha," July 1930, Mao Tsetung,
Poems,
p. 9.
4. See "Mao, a Best-Seller" and note 5.

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