China’s would-be powerhouse Hunan wants officials to ‘emancipate their minds’

‘Lying flat’ is out and a drive to effectively revive the province’s economy is in, with campaign aimed at Communist Party cadres of all levels

The campaign’s slogan was part of the party’s 1978 move to reverse Mao Zedong’s doctrines but is expected to have ‘limited’ implications

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Hunan province in central China has named its campaign after a party slogan from the post-Mao era that has also been used by President Xi Jinping to call for effective local governance. Photo: AFP

Amber Wangin BeijingandWilliam Zhengin Hong Kong

Published: 5:00pm, 19 Feb 2024Updated: 5:03pm, 19 Feb 2024

Communist Party officials in Hunan province in central China have kicked off a campaign which recalls Beijing’s reversal of the Maoist political and economic doctrines of the last century, in a move that analysts say will have limited political implications.

According to a notice made public on Sunday, provincial cadres at all levels are taking part in the campaign, which started in early February and will continue until the end of March.

The campaign’s name – “large-scale discussions on emancipating the mind” – was a clear reference to the party’s efforts to kick off much-needed market reforms after the death of leader Mao Zedong in 1976.

President Xi Jinping, who came to power in 2013, revived the slogan to call for effective local governance and it was also in evidence on Sunday in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, where top cadres used it in a pledge to drive growth.

Deng Xiaoping, who took over as leader in December 1978, made “emancipate the mind” his signature slogan as he paved the way for more than 40 years of reform and opening up.

Later Chinese leaders also used the slogan to urge the country to reflect on the lessons of Mao’s governance, especially during the Cultural Revolution – a decade of political and social upheaval that almost paralysed the national economy, and only ended after his death.