Page 46 - All About History - Issue 34-16

hina in the 1960s is a place of
censorship, poverty and hard The Cultural Revolution 1966-76
labour. Chairman Mao Zedong is
C the ostensible head of the country,
having led the Chinese Communist Party
and chaired the People’s Republic of
China from 1949-59, he will remain the Know the words to East Is
chairman of the party until his death in Red. An anthem of the Cultural
1976. However, he is more than a leader. Revolution, knowing the words
Mao has created a fierce cult of personality will help you blend in. It begins: “The
around himself – his face is plastered east is red, the sun is rising. China has
across the country while his Little Red brought forth a Mao Zedong, he works
Book of quotes is compulsory reading. Mao for the people’s happiness.”
has been in power for decades already
by the time of the Cultural Revolution, Hold on to Mao memorabilia.
an initiative characterised by feeding the Mangoes rejected by Mao gain
public propaganda, encouraging young cult status. Keep anything Mao-
people to undermine figures of authority related for bargaining.
(apart from Mao) and eliminating political
opponents. The ultimate aim is to secure Kill flies, rats, mosquitoes
his place in history while avoiding a loss of and sparrows. The Four Pests
momentum or eventual collapse, as seen in initiative requires families to
the Soviet Union. present one rat’s tail a week.
Read the newspaper… but
don’t believe everything you
read. One way in which Maoist
FIG.02 propaganda infiltrates the masses is
through the media.

Express anti-Mao thought. Be
it a right-wing view or anything
conflicting with the ideals of
the Communist Party, speaking out of
line will arouse suspicion.
Did you know? Leave your Little Red Book
behind. This book of quotes by
The ‘Iron Rice Bowl’ Chairman Mao is essential
is a common phrase reading for all citizens.
meaning job security
Make a fashion statement.
from the state
Most citizens wear uniforms or
simple clothing. Luxurious
WHERE TO STAY clothes are bourgeois, apart from the
zhifu, the tunic and trousers
While the Chinese Communist Party state that stay in a rural community, far from cities like combination most often sported by Mao.
you can live anywhere you wish, the reality Beijing and Shanghai.
is quite different. Workers and managers live Maoist ideology is geared towards peasants, Brush your teeth. Mao never
side by side in overcrowded apartment blocks so you could find that you encounter less brushes his teeth as “a tiger
in cities. You’ll need a permit to live in one hostility in the countryside. Don’t expect to be never brushes its teeth.” Many
though (and, in fact, to live anywhere), which farming, however, as the Great Leap Forward Chinese people follow suit.
requires government registration. To make initiative shunned traditional agriculture in
as little impact as possible, it may be best to favour of modernisation.
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