Q. and A.: Roderick MacFarquhar on the Cultural Revolution and China Today

By HELEN GAO

The New York Times - MAY 3, 2016

The chaos and brutality of the Cultural Revolution, unleashed by Mao Zedong 50 years ago, have received little public examination in China. After the fall of the Gang of Four, the Communist Party and much of the Chinese public chose to move on, as market-oriented policy changes took root. In recent years, however, interest in revisiting this time has grown. Some Chinese have perceived echoes of the Cultural Revolution in the “red culture” campaign in Chongqing under the since-disgraced Bo Xilai or in President Xi Jinping’s anticorruption campaign and have argued that history must be confronted more openly to avoid repeating its mistakes.

Roderick MacFarquhar, a scholar of elite Chinese politics at Harvard University, is a leading expert on the Cultural Revolution. He is the author of the trilogy “The Origins of the Cultural Revolution” and, with Michael Schoenhals, of “Mao’s Last Revolution.” In an interview, he discussed the relevance of that era for contemporary China.

Q. How are Chinese leaders dealing with the 50th anniversary of the Cultural Revolution?

A. I don’t think the party will be bothered much about the 50th anniversary. If I were Xi Jinping, I would probably say to my colleagues: Just make sure no one celebrates this or marks this.

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