The Great Works Of Mao Zedong And His Controversial Legacy

Abstract

This paper explores the poems and classical literature published by Mao Zedong throughout his political and military career in China. It focuses on how his childhood and education shaped his political views and how the poems depict his travels throughout China and his marches with his troops through similar and traditional language. Mao Zedong mimics the literary style of previous classical Chinese authors, potentially because of his exposure to their works at a young age. The chronological poems describe the confidence and pride that Zedong felt about his Red Army, which eventually led him to rule over his followers for many years. The legacy of Mao Zedong today is somewhat controversial because of the famine and disruption he caused in the lives of millions of Chinese people during the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, but there is still a strong representation of his rule and literature in China today. This paper evaluates the literary references throughout the poems, including many images about nature and the simplicity of humans. While Mao Zedong acknowledged the hardships that his troops and army faced throughout their venture through the mountains, his poems express his desire to rule China and unite the people under his political governance. The stories that he sometimes passed off as scribbles tell us a lot about his life and personality.

The Great Works of Mao Zedong and his Controversial Legacy

Mao Zedong is remembered in Chinese history for his political conquest and communist theories that he infused into Chinese life through revolutionary movements and warfare. His simple childhood that revolved around classical literature and schooling shaped him into the political leader that was in the 20th century. His life impacted millions, through his military conquests, his poems he published, and even his legacy that is mostly honored in China today with memorials and tourist attractions. His literature is still studied in China and American classrooms today and he is honored for his simplistic and traditional Chinese style. Zedong’s focus on visual imagery and his casual way of articulating his perspective formed poems that are praised for the authenticity and style today. Although his reign over China may be glorified today, his impact on Chinese culture was profound and everlasting.

Mao Zedong was raised in a plain home with little emphasis on the luxuries of everyday life. His father prided himself on his rule over their peasants and offered little praise and reward for hard work. Mao Zedong recalled that he was fed simple foods and spent most of his time reading classical literature, including the Confucian Analects and the Four Classics. When his father saw him wasting time and doing foolish things, he supplied him with more reading, encouraging him to keep busy at all times. Mao Zedong’s mother was illiterate, but he ventured off on his own and attended school throughout his life, eventually graduating from the First Normal School of Hunan (Mao and Barnstone, 2008). It was during his early years of life that he began to formulate his political opinions and perspective about the world.

While he attended schools, he immersed himself in the wide variety of literature offered, including historical readings, romances, newspapers, poetry, geography, and even studied maps. His education created the foundation for his future rule over the land of China and his Red Army. During the period of 1911-1918, Mao Zedong began to write, although his poems were not published for many years later (Mao and Barnstone, 2008). He served in the army, joined political groups, became a leader in government, and began to mature and formulate his own opinions about how China should be governed. His activist’s personality was developing greatly, and several of his future literary poems referenced this time period, depicting his rise as a leader of the communist revolutionary period. Changsha is the best example of this. Changsha is where Mao Zedong was originally from and where he attended the First Normal School of Hunan (Mao and Barnstone, 2008). He references the river that ran through his home town near his school. This poem may have served as the foundation for the rest of his literary career, similar to how his roots were planted in his hometown where he discovered the world of classical readings and famous writings. As he grew older, he became further invested in activism, and he went to Beijing in 1918 where he read about the Tang dynasty and Russian revolutions (Mao and Barnstone, 2008).

When he eventually returned to Changsha in 1919, he saw himself as a Marxists, but over time his involvement in various political unions led him to become the delegate for the Guomindang, a growing Chinese revolutionist party at the time (Mao and Barnstone, 2008). This served as first spotlight in national politics, and his experiences as an educated male who had served in the army, worked in a low-income job, and seen different areas of China helped prepare him for this role. He brought power to the peasant class through his publication of ”Report on an Investigation into the Peasant Movement in Hunan,” since he may have been motivated to side with the peasants because he understood their power in numbers, stemming back from his childhood when his father controlled their peasant workers. When Zedong launched the Autumn Harvest Uprising, he was evicted for the central committee of the Chinese Communist Party. Mao Zedong said that “the yellow crane is gone,” in Tower of Yellow Crane, potentially referencing the rising turmoil of revolution and differing political opinions (Mao and Barnstone, 2008). Mao Zedong showed confidence for his cause, despite difficulties with his growing revolution. Following his failed attempt at an uprising, Mao Zedong organized the Red Army.

Alongside many men, he ventured to the mountains, where he wrote Jinggang Mountain in 1928. Mao Zedong recognized that his army was outnumbered and underprepared, but he still felt that they were as strong as “rock. ” They would not be outwitted, and their determination would carry them far along. This was before Mao Zedong knew about the long march him and his troops would be undertaking in the near future. Their confidence lit the fire the fueled their guerrilla style warfare. His next several poems were written during the early growth of his army and political following. They continued to reference elements of nature, a style that Mao Zedong practiced in nearly all of his literature. He also followed a sort of lyrical rhyme that mimicked the writings of ancient Chinese emperors (Maoist Documentation Project, 2007). The poems in this collection are rich with visual descriptions and simplistic language. The poem Warlords, written in September or October of 1929, references the “wind and clouds” and “red banners,” while other poems continue to focus on elements of nature such as the “moss,” “sky and seas,” and “the forests are a red blooming in the frost sky” (Mao and Barnstone, 2008). Mao Zedong often said that his writings were of little importance and did not deserve the attention of the public, meaning he used writing as a form of personal expression, not aiming to publish his works for the public. He typically wrote in traditional styles, without political focus, but often coupling his stanzas with historical references to give context.

Revolution was a common theme in Chinese classical poetry, and he continued that trend with his recollection of his battles in First Siege, Second Siege, and Loushan Pass. The “anger of [his] good soldiers” united the Red Army in a horrific battle against the Chinese Nationalist KMT party (Mao and Barnstone, 2008). Over “a thousand hills” and “[whirling] wind and smoke,” the troops marched for their political pursuit (Mao and Barnstone, 2008). The Loushan Pass truly depicts how the troops were confident in their abilities, despite their lack of resources and manpower. They compared themselves to a “forest of rifles”, saying they would stand strong and “cross the summit in one step” (Mao and Barnstone, 2008).

One of the most powerful things that the Red Army possessed was a high morale. Mao Zedong never doubted his troops, which is evident in his literature. He recognized the tough conditions and how “the battle was hot at its peak” and used it as motivation to work harder and grow stronger (Mao and Barnstone, 2008). The poems recounted the battles and troubles that the Red Army faced through history. Zedong seemed content with their valiant effort and focused on the pleasure of their unity and determination. In the Second Siege, the regret from Jiang Jieshi is referenced with the line “someone is crying,” showing how Zedong recognized his triumphant victory over the other armies in this one battle and felt that the battle was somewhat easy to take control of. After the Second Siege, Mao Zedong published several more poems articulating the march his troops were facing, but The Long March is one of the most famous of his works that describes this time.

In 1934, the Red Army was in the midst of their 6,500 mile march from Jiangxi to Shaanxi province (Columbia, 2012). He mentioned their victory and strength through times of “hardship on the march, the long march” that was filled with rivers, mountains, valleys, and other dangerous environmental factors (Mao and Barnstone, 2008). Along with the natural forces the troops had to fight against, the other armies put up a fight against the Red Army. However, the men were not afraid, and Mao Zedong even said “we all laugh” in times of happiness (Mao and Barnstone, 2008). While Zedong may have been proud of his troop’s unity and accomplishments, this poem specifically romanticizes the enormous number of lives lost during the march.

In 1935, the troops arrived at their new base in the North, but over half of the original marchers had died or been left behind along the way (Schram, 2019). Few women or children were left in the clan, potentially because of the emphasis on men’s strength and the expectation that they survived. Another poem by Mao Zedong called Mount Liupan says that “if we cannot reach the Long Wall, we are not true men” (Mao and Barnstone, 2008). His philosophy of battle was intense and did not wait for the weaker individuals who could not keep up with the rest of the troops. Kunlun Mountain emphasizes how the men had to adapt to their surroundings by saying men had to “turn into fish and turtles” when they found themselves in a flood (Mao and Barnstone, 2008). Mao Zedong used his literature and imagery to talk about the challenges they faced, and how his expectations for his troops was that they would rise to the occasion and face the opposition with a brave face.

Following the long march, Mao Zedong set greater goals for himself and his revolution that he had strengthened over the years. In the poem Snow, he outwardly proclaimed how he wanted to unify and lead China, like the past emperors of the Tang and Song dynasties. Those dynasties practiced literary styles that Mao Zedong mimicked in his own writing, showing how he admired their leadership and traditional characteristics (Maoist, 2007). He praised the beautify of Northern China before he describes his climb to control the next dynasty. This confidence could have potentially been interpreted as arrogance by other political leaders, but he continued to take power and the rest of his poems continued to express this sentiment. In Swimming, Mao Zedong explained that “a bridge will fly over this moat dug by heaven,” which could be a reference to the dangerous bridge his troops crossed over the Dadu River during their march and the other setbacks they overcame. By paving a “road from north to south,” he hoped to spread the beauty he witnessed in his new land with his powerful army to the rest of the country. He claimed that the rest of China would “marvel at the changed world,” and he would glorify the people with movements like the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution Mao and Barnstone, 2008). In reality, famine and death would plague the country and the “re-education” of the country would hurt millions of people.

The rest of Mao Zedong’s poems embody his traditional style while allowing his words to paint a picture through many different perspectives. Militia Women was published in February of 1961, around the time that the Great Leap Forward was in ruins and people were starving. It is estimated that between twenty and thirty million people died following the Great Leap Forward (Columbia, 2012). Mao Zedong calls “Daughters of China” marvelous with a strong will and heroism. He believed that his strategy to make China successful and bountiful with steel and money, but in reality, many jobs were neglected and his plan left the country in ruins (Scalapino, 1982). The snow and ice referenced in In Praise of the Winter Plum Blossom may allude to the tragedy that was seen in this time period. However, Mao Zedong still had plans to introduce the Cultural Revolution that would reeducate the country and purge the land from capitalists and the bourgeoise. He took a break from publishing poems and the revolution was launched around 1966.

Mao Zedong united historical, ancient and modern Chinese culture with his writing, similar to his attempt to unite China through his revolutionary work and career. He often referenced nature, myth, historical figures, and the environment that he was surrounded by. His simple language is easy to understand, making it seem noninfluential to himself, but today his works are showcased and his legacy in China is often a tourist attraction (Tatlow, 2011). His education and childhood played a strong role in the political conquest he led throughout his life. Today, Mao Zedong is honored in China in a mausoleum in Tiananmen Square, Beijing. The world examined his writings further when he died at the age of 83, finding records of poems that Zedong did not value or find important; he claimed they were just “scribbles. ” His personal stories of his battles tell modern readers about how he viewed his troops and what pride he felt. He kept the morale high with his confidence and enjoyed the beauty of nature throughout all of his adventures. Despite the many lives he was responsible for ending, most Chinese and tourists value his successes more than his failures in leadership (Tatlow, 2011). While there is some controversy over whether or not there should be a memorial and attraction honoring his life and rule, there is no doubt that his legacy will be long lasting. His literary works will be studied for years to come because of the unique approach to describing nature through traditional Chinese styles. The emotional clarity shown in the poems describes Zedong’s confidence and the sequential stories reveal much about his historical and political reign.

References

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