CHINA: That Was Then, This Is Mao

CHINA: That Was Then, This Is Mao

Is China ready for the second coming of Mao Zedong? After the death of the Great Helmsman in 1976, his reform-minded successors wasted no time discrediting his ideas. But while Maoism remains out of style, the Chairman himself is more popular today than at any time in the past decade. Once tossed aside as shameful relics of the hated Cultural Revolution, Mao buttons and portraits are selling fast in some Chinese shops and stalls. Last year 900,000 people visited his birthplace in Hunan province, a record since the late 1970s. And a forthcoming film stresses his human qualities, portraying him as...

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