US citizen Sidney
Rittenberg spent 35 years in China at a time of momentous upheaval,
personally befriending Mao Zedong and other veteran Chinese
revolutionary leaders as they seized power from the Kuomintang from 1945
onwards. Here he reveals his unique perspective on the civil war, the
early days of Communism and Mao's philosophy.
Like everything else in China, Mao's role today is a study in
paradox. He is both more and less than the ginormous portrait that
dominates the centre of Beijing's Tiananmen Square - and which will not
be coming down anytime soon.More, because Mao is the George Washington figure, the founder of the People's Republic of China, the great unifier of his ancient, far-flung and multifarious people.
Less, because Chinese youth today, including young Party members, typically know nothing about his writings, his doctrine, his great successes and monstrous errors.
To read more...
No comments:
Post a Comment