 |
| Mao’s portrait at Tiananmen Square |
By Bo Zhiyue
Over 120 years after his birth, China still debates what Mao’s true legacy is.
December 26, 2015 was Mao Zedong’s 122nd birthday. A crowd gathered in Shaoshan, Mao’s birthplace, to celebrate his birthday under the watchful eyes of the armed police. Although he is the founding father of the People’s Republic of China, Mao remains a controversial figure in China.
Mao’s fans believe that he is a great savior, the sort of hero the world only sees a few times in a millennium. To Mao’s admirers, the Chinese people should be grateful because it was Mao who put an end to China’s “century of humiliation.” Because of him, the Chinese people have stood up in the world.
But Mao’s opponents consider him a demon, a creature that is good at nothing but destruction. Under his leadership, tens of millions of people perished, families were destroyed, schools were suspended, government institutions were paralyzed, and the whole country was brought to the edge of total collapse.
Read the full story at The Diplomat