Australia's two biggest cities cancel Mao Zedong concerts, citing safety concerns
For weeks, Chinese in Sydney and Melbourne complained that the ‘Glory and Dream’ concerts, scheduled for September in both cities’ town halls, lionise a leader they see as responsible for millions of deaths
Australia’s two biggest cities Sydney and Melbourne cancelled concerts commemorating the death of former Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong, with one citing safety concerns, after Chinese Australians complained the content was insensitive.
The incident signifies the continued divisiveness of Mao among Chinese, both at home and abroad, four decades after his death.
In China there is a quiet resurgence in popularity towards Mao, with his image adorning banknotes and his embalmed body attracting hundreds, if not thousands, of visitors a day to Beijing. But there is also continued criticism among Chinese of his reign, under which tens of millions died.
For weeks, Chinese in Sydney and Melbourne complained that the “Glory and Dream” concerts, scheduled for September in both cities’ town halls, lionise a leader they see as responsible for millions of deaths.