Faithful gather in praise of former Communist leader Mao Zedong in Hunan on his birthday
Despite officials’ efforts to deter attendance, thousands of devotees descend on chairman’s hometown
Tens of thousands of people have spent Christmas Day and Boxing Day celebrating the life of the former Communist leader Mao Zedong (毛澤東) in his former hometown amid signs that authorities are increasingly uneasy that some are using the event to criticise the direction of government policy.
The commemorations were held in Shaoshan county in Hunan (湖南) province where Mao was born on December 26, 1893.
While much of the world was marking the Christian festival, the former Great Helmsman and atheist’s supporters were toasting his memory and chanting “Long live Chairman Mao”.
The celebrations were focussed on a square in the centre of Shaoshan where there is a statue of the founder of the People’s Republic. A fireworks display was held on Friday and went on until the early hours of the morning, with ash falling at times as thick as snow. The music was mainly revolutionary songs played with trumpet and drums by dozens of retired elderly people from the provincial capital Changsha (長沙).
Two choirs also marched into the square and sang for two hours until midnight on Friday when the temperature fell to just 4 degrees Celsius.
The singers said they had all volunteered to take part in the festivities and were from most parts of the mainland.
Many used the occasion to vent their grievances against government market-oriented policies and the current state of the nation.
Maoists on the mainland hark back to what they deem as the purer form of communism in the early years after the formation of the People’s Republic in 1949.
They favour a full welfare state, resent private ownership and have in recent years become increasingly critical of political policy formulated in Beijing.
Yuan Yuhua, a Maoist and self-educated scholar, said supporters of Mao’s political ideas were increasingly viewed with suspicion by the authorities.
“Most Maoist gatherings in other places are suppressed, causing more leftists to come here,” he said. “In the past two years, leftist gatherings to commemorate Mao have dwindled, in part due to official interference.”
Mao supporters marched on Friday and Saturday, carrying the national flag, pictures of the former leader and placards bearing some of his quotations.
Most taking part were in their 50s and 60 and had lived under Mao’s rule, but there were some young faces among the crowd.
“Bo Xilai [薄熙來] is innocent!” shouted a young woman on Saturday morning. In front of her was a a banner that read “let all proletariats in the world unite and destroy an all-depriving and oppressive system”.
Bo, the former Communist Party boss in Chongqing (重慶), was jailed for life on corruption charges two years ago.
He was widely criticised by liberals for promoting the singing of revolutionary songs during his term in office. He was also widely admired by the left for his social welfare policies and for criticisms of government leaders’ market-oriented economic reforms.
Zhu Deqing, 70, from the neighbouring city of Shaoyang (邵陽), said 14 of his friends were stopped from attending the Mao commemorations.
“They were told they would be arrested if they came.”
The group, mainly retired workers, had planned to bring trumpets and drums to play in the square, said Zhu.
“People miss Mao because they’re not content with the current situation,” he said. “Today corrupt officials are everywhere.”
Behind Mao’s statue, hundreds waited in line to burn paper money to the atheist leader.
“Without Chairman Mao, there wouldn’t have been the new China,” said Tang Zhonghua, an actor who regularly plays the former leader, with Mao suit and his trademark mole on his chin.
“I don’t think Chairman Mao had any flaws. And the Cultural Revolution was the right decision,” Tang said. “If Mao didn’t start the Cultural Revolution, he would have lost power.”
His comments on the political chaos unleashed during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s were echoed by others in the square.
“China has recently deviated from the route of chairman Mao,” said a man holding a banner that read “Hong Kong Society of Mao Zedong Thought”. “It has caused some problems. I hope China gets back on the track of Mao.
“The Cultural Revolution was Mao’s greatest contribution. The Cultural Revolution suppressed elite-centric thoughts in the party. It was an attempt to let the people supervise the government,” he said, adding that he was a professor in Hong Kong, but did want to be named.
