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Honors Lit & Comp 1
15 March 2024
Great Disorder Under Heaven
Mao Zedong was a 19th century dictator who reigned China with a red rule stained in blood, fear, and an intense push on loyalty. Mao Zedong was born December 26, 1893 to a moderately successful family. When Mao’s father prohibited him from trying to pursue a broader education, Mao threatened to commit suicide. Mao used manipulative tactics from a young age in order to get what he wanted. When he threatened to commit, it went against his clear filial duties taught by the Chinese Confucian principles. Later in life, Mao rose to a position of power in the communist party, surrounding himself with ‘yes-men’ who would not dare to go against him. In his life, Mao had a total of four wives, each of whom he betrayed, cheated on, or had killed. Mao betrayed many people who considered him a close ally, including his own revolutionary aide, Liu Shaoqi. He used a personality cult to make sure his face was in every Chinese citizen’s home, that his book was on each of their shelves, and that all of them knew that Mao Zedong was never to be disrespected. The admiration of China towards Mao was a forced personality cult that ended in millions of deaths, and left people full of fear towards him.
A personality cult is the excessive following of a dictator, often to the point of near worship. Notable dictators who used personality cults include Hitler, Mussolini, Mao, and Stalin. Mirsky perfectly describes the use of personality cults, he says, “Such ‘cults’ debased allies and rivals alike, forcing them to collaborate through common subordination. Most of all, by compelling them to acclaim him before the others, a dictator turned everyone into a liar. When everyone lies, no one can be trusted, making it difficult to find accomplices and organize a coup” (Mirsky). Mao forced everyone into subordination, making them follow him, adore him, and praise him. This wasn’t something normal. It was the uprising of a personality cult. People might think that China devoutly followed Mao out of a healthy admiration, but it was something much different. Many dictators blinded their people to their dictator’s brutality, forcing them to support the very people who were persecuting them. “Throughout the 20th century, hundreds of millions of people cheered their dictators, even as they were herded down the road to serfdom. Across the planet, the faces of Hitler, Mussolini, Mao, Stalin and others appeared on hoardings and buildings, with portraits in every school, office and factory. Ordinary people had to bow to his likeness, pass by his statue, recite his work, praise his name, extol his genius” (Dikötter). This shows the encapsulating leadership of Mao, just like many other dictators. Mao was human, just like you and I, yet somehow, he had convinced all of China that he was special. He was someone above them, he was someone who ‘acted as a messenger for God’. Mao used a personality cult by forcing people to adore him, and punishing anyone who didn’t.
Mao led many people to death, purging anyone he deemed not loyal. Mao would drive people out of cities, forcing them onto a long march before killing them. Chong states that because Mao had pushed the people to work on mining coal, they stopped farming as much grain, causing a great famine. This famine eventually killed over 30,000,000 people in the span of three years. Mao’s idea of making China an economic powerhouse ended in a large mass of China’s peasantry’s deaths. They were pushed by Chinese propaganda, slogans of a world in the near future where China would rule over every other nation as an economic powerhouse were shouted. Empty promises of the money and pride the peasants could bring to China were made. People didn’t have a choice, they were taken out of their jobs to mine coal instead. The Irish Times describes Mao’s ultimate goal, which ended up in mayhem, “Mao wanted to create "great disorder under heaven", which would be followed by "great order under heaven". The Cultural Revolution declared war on bourgeois culture, capitalist-roaders and class enemies, but it was primarily a bloody purge aimed at entrenching Mao's hold on power and establishing a cult of personality around him” (Irish Times). Mao drove many innocent people to death, for looking at him in the wrong light, for not worshiping him, and for going against him. Mao used horrible tactics to punish and purge those who would not follow him. Many of the brave people who died were the people who had the guts to stand up to him.
Many of Mao’s followers extolled his magnificence with praising words, most of which were full of superstition. When people hail Mao as an all-mighty deity, it is hard to tell who to trust. This play on Mao being a wonderful leader creates the idea that the Chinese genuinely believed that Mao was someone to be worshiped, yet his actions show clear signs of being a horrible person. Leese states that, “Following Mao Zedong from the bottom of our hearts is no worship of the individual or superstitious belief in the individual, but the worship of truth. Decades of revolution and construction have proven that Chairman Mao is the representative of truth [zhenli de daibiao]” (Leese). People saw Mao as the representative of truth. They thought he was a divine messenger, someone not fully human. They glorified him, writing full poems just to praise his name. Many leaders of personality cults were excellent actors. They put on the face of a celebrity in front of the people, seeming honest, humble, and even kind. These are the words from the First Congress of the Navy conducted in December 1967, “Mountains are high but not higher than the blue sky, rivers are deep but not as deep as the ocean; torches are bright but cannot rival sun and moon. Your loving kindness is still higher than the sky, deeper than the ocean, more magnificent than the splendour of sun and moon. Even if one could count the stars in all nine skies, your contributions to mankind would still remain beyond measure!” (Leese). Nine is the highest single odd digit so it is seen as representative of the emperor, which might be why he references nine skies. The Forbidden City, the largest palace complex in the world, has 9,999 rooms. This is because the number nine is sacred, and because the number 9,999 is pronounced the same as the Chinese word for “eternal”. People praised Mao with high words, they praised him for his kindness, for his contributions, and for his grace. They pushed aside all of the death he had caused. Standing up for the 30,000,000 peasants that Mao had indirectly starved and all of the purges that had taken place seemed almost impossible in the face of persecution. The Mao cult was rooted in superstition and intense loyalty, forcing people to turn on eachother and create a bloody mayhem.
While Mao’s reign took place many years ago, his portrait still hangs in Tiananmen square. Tiananmen Square is a plaza in the center of Beijing, and it is located near the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is famous for the massacre that took place there in 1989, where a peaceful protest ended in thousands dead and even more injured. On the gate of Tiananmen Square, a single portrait of Mao Zedong hangs, and is replaced annually. Mao Zedong’s body rests in a memorial hall in Tiananmen Square, which is a highly popular attraction in Beijing. The impact of Mao’s reign leaves people even now scared to take down his portrait. My mom, grew up during the last section of Mao’s reign. When my mom was growing up, her family had to have a picture of Mao in their home, or else they were seen as traitors who did not support him. My mom took my sister and I to Tiananmen Square when we were little, not fully emphasizing the appalling horrors the man in the picture had done . Restrictions were set on artists who drew Mao as well. If artists used dark colors like gray or black in portraits of Mao, they were seen as traitors for not painting him in bright ones. Often artists drew Mao with an almost divine halo around him, interpreting him as something that was more divine than human. Dikötter states, “In China, Mao slogans, photos, posters and books became all the rage during the Cultural Revolution. Entire branches of industry were converted to produce cult objects” (Dikötter). Mao’s cult objects began taking over whole industries, showcasing his obvious use of manipulating people using the ruse of loyalty. If you bought his book, spent your money on his cult, and made sure to show you supported him, you were safe. The Irish Times says, “The Communist Party describes the Cultural Revolution as a disaster for China and its people, and refers to it as the "10-year catastrophe". But Mao's portrait still gazes over Tiananmen Square and adorns every bank note” (Irish Times). Although the Communist Party says that the Cultural Revolution ended long ago, it’s still happening today. China hasn’t taken the step to get rid of what Mao had implemented. His face is still seen everywhere. Mao left a long lasting effect on China, his cult is still active today. People had to worship Mao not only with objects, but also with their words.
The Mao cult was a twisted following full of betrayal, superstition, and death. Mao Zedong used a personality cult as a ruse to betray and kill many of his people, leaving China in chaos. Perhaps the fear that fills the Chinese’s hearts today is what holds them back from sharing their experiences. This topic is important because it helps spread awareness of what happened in China. I feel that not many people know about it in detail. Although Chairman Mao died many years ago, it’s important to remember what he did, and how he did it so we might not fall to a similar leader again.