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Political Iconography Going Haywire
FROM GREAT
CHAIRMAN TO FABULOUS MC: MAO ZEDONG'S SUCCESS STORY
EastWestGirl | Jan 23, 2004 | 14:17 CET
Topic: Politics and
Power
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It was at the end
of December, when the Christian world was busy celebrating the birth of
their saviour that another part of the world was preparing for the
anniversary for the birth of another saviour: the 110th birthday of Mao
Zedong, born on December 26th, 1893 in the remote province of Hunan. In
commemoration of the great helmsman and to remind people that China is
still ruled by that same CCP that has gone through the Long March, the
Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution (as if that was a good
idea), books and films have been produced, concerts were given and, here
it comes: an album was recorded which includes a short rap song with lyrics from Mao's speeches. Maybe I
have missed something but since when is Mao one of the boys in the hood?
And who is going to be fooled into believing so? The CCP explained this
unusual project with the need to revive interest in his ideology,
increasingly regarded as irrelevant by younger, more money- and
fashion-oriented, generations which explains another new release: a "Learn
from Mao" book containing business management tips from the communist
revolutionary.
On a first glance it seems like the not so good old
days of the Cultural Revolution are back. The somewhat bloated face of Mao
is smiling his Mona Lisa-smile down from everywhere. His features peer
from
ghost money and stamps
and classroom walls. This impression however does not survive a closer
look. Of course, the old image of Mao is still preserved in the giant
portrait over the gate to the Forbidden
City at Tienanmen Square which shows the revolutionary hero who
liberated China, it is the portrait of a demigod. But in my observation,
he rather plays the role of a kitchen god - a superstitious rather than a
religious object. People don't really believe in it, but they still keep
it around the home out of habit. In remote areas, childless couples are
said to pray to him for children. If you take a cap in Beijing, it is very
likely that your driver keeps a Mao pendant dangling from the rear view
mirror as a lucky charm. In Shanghai, where his picture is harder to find,
his features are more often than not displayed in the sense of
folkloristic décor in Hunan restaurants.
Wang
Wenhai , an artist and devotee of Mao, tries to reflect these
different faces in the 1,500 sculptures he has made of the chairman. Until
recently he produced only the classical images of Mao permitted during the
Cultural Revolution, but in the past year he has made a Mao Buddha, a gay
Mao, a lady Mao and a Mao pillow for those who want to sleep with the
chairman.
It looks like Mao can be everything to everyone and as
his image is growing more ubiquitous; his cultural significance is
becoming shallower. The public memory of Mao could have done much worse
than the mere undergoing of displacement. And much less amusing!
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