They Celebrate Mao ... But Deng Is The Leader To Celebrate

Deng Xiaoping (right) and Mao Zedong are shown in Beijing in this 1959 photo. AP

From New York Times:

THURSDAY was the 60th anniversary of the day Mao Zedong stood on the platform at Tiananmen Square and announced the formation of the People’s Republic of China. But the revolution that millions of Chinese are really celebrating began 30 years ago — under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping.

For the Chinese who had for years endured Japanese occupation, 1949 brought the promise of a new era. But a decade later, the puffed-up National Day celebrations could not mask the widespread starvation that resulted from Mao’s commune system. Later, Mao’s Red Guards terrorized the country, killing intellectuals and officials. The world shrank away. At a low point in the Cultural Revolution, China had only one ambassador abroad, in Cairo. In isolation, China fell far behind other East Asian countries.

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My Comment: When I was in China in the 1980s, I was startled with the feedback that I received from my Chinese hosts (high government officials) when I asked them about their Cultural Revolution experiences. Their experiences were horrible .... and they had no love for Mao .... but they loved Deng Xiaoping.

They may celebrate Mao at every anniversary .... But it is Deng Xiaoping that they will always respect.