Mao Zedong: Reverence Amid Tragedy and Tyranny

Mao Zedong, who has caused more Chinese deaths than anyone in history—even during peacetime—is still regarded by some as a great leader of the Chinese people and revered as a totem of the Chinese nation.

According to reports from Chinese state media, on December 26th, crowds gathered in Mao's birthplace of Shaoshan, Hunan Province, to commemorate his birthday. A massive statue of Mao was surrounded by worshippers who laid wreaths, burned incense in smoke-filled areas, waved red flags, and sang “The East is Red” to mark the 131st anniversary of his birth.

This phenomenon is relatively recent. In the 1980s, Mao’s former residence was largely deserted. Even in the early 1990s, buses to Shaoshan during his birthday saw mostly migrant workers, with very few pilgrims. The resurgence of “Mao fever” began gradually after the June 4th Tiananmen incident, accelerating significantly under Xi Jinping, the “Great Accelerator.” This culminated in the absurd scenes seen in Shaoshan on December 26th in recent years.

The Reality in Shaoshan During Mao's Era

Shaoshan, Mao's hometown, naturally enjoyed special favor during Mao’s rule. However, even it did not escape the disasters of his policies. For instance, during the Great Famine, Shaoshan also saw many people starve to death.

On April 14, 1961, Mao’s secretary, Hu Qiaomu, submitted a report titled “Investigation Materials on the Issue of Communal Kitchens” to Mao. The report, approved by Mao and forwarded to Liu Shaoqi and others, explicitly described starvation deaths in Hunan Province:

"Attached is the investigation team’s report on resolving the issue of communal kitchens. Please review... Yesterday, I, along with comrades Wang Li, Mao Huachu, and He Bingxian from the provincial agriculture office, visited the Xiangxiang County Committee. We initially intended to investigate the Longdong Commune (formerly Dongjiao Commune, near Shaoshan), which was reported to have severe mortality (from October 1958 to March 1961, three brigades lost 707 people, accounting for 13.5% of the current population). However, due to transportation issues, we instead visited teams in several other brigades.

This report was included in the Selected Important Documents Since the Founding of the PRC (Vol. 14), published by the Central Party Literature Research Office.

The Great Leap Forward and Lushan Conference

In 1958, Mao launched the Great Leap Forward and the People’s Communes, resulting in widespread famine and starvation. By August 1959, at the Lushan Conference, Mao was already aware of the food shortages and starvation occurring across the country. Initially, he planned to “rectify the Leftist errors” of the Great Leap Forward and the communes.

However, after receiving a letter from Peng Dehuai that criticized these policies, Mao felt his absolute authority was being challenged. He responded with a power struggle, labeling Peng and his allies as an “anti-Party clique.” Instead of correcting the errors, Mao doubled down, exacerbating the famine and leading to even more deaths. Hu Qiaomu's investigation confirmed that non-natural deaths peaked in 1960, following the Lushan Conference.

Cultural Revolution and Mao’s Vendetta

Eventually, under pressure from pragmatic leaders like Liu Shaoqi, Mao reluctantly agreed to policy adjustments. Many officials purged during the Lushan Conference were rehabilitated. However, Mao's resentment toward Peng Dehuai lingered. He accused Peng of treason and continued to suppress him. In 1965, Mao summoned Peng, who was under house arrest, to Zhongnanhai and sent him to the Southwest as deputy commander of the Third Front Construction. While Mao claimed “truth may be on your side” during their meeting, his true intentions were soon revealed.

In November 1965, an article titled “On the New Historical Drama ‘Hai Rui Dismissed from Office’”, written by Yao Wenyuan under Jiang Qing’s direction, was published, marking the start of the Cultural Revolution. Mao saw Peng as the modern “Hai Rui,” and by December 1965, he explicitly linked the play to Peng’s downfall, saying:

"The essence of 'Hai Rui Dismissed from Office' is 'dismissal.' Just as Emperor Jiajing dismissed Hai Rui, we dismissed Peng Dehuai in 1959. Peng Dehuai is also a 'Hai Rui.’"

This statement revealed Mao’s true aim: the Cultural Revolution was his way of exacting revenge, not only against Peng but also against Liu Shaoqi and other pragmatists who had corrected his catastrophic mistakes.

Mao’s Ruthlessness

Mao’s "Five Criteria for Successors" emphasized:

"One must be able to unite the majority, especially those who opposed you but were proven wrong by practice."

To this, someone sarcastically added:

"As for those who opposed you and were proven correct, they must be ruthlessly crushed and eliminated."

Mao’s cruelty and malice were unparalleled, even among tyrants in history.