The Battle for China's Past: Mao and the Cultural Revolution

In 1976, the forces of Mao Zedong were overthrown in China. And two years later, Deng Xiao-ping initiated a sweeping set of changes that pushed through the dismantling of socialist relations throughout the society. This is the bitter thirtieth anniversary of those "reforms" - that have had such a profound impact on the people of china and on the world. This is the third in a series of postings Kasama will be publishing to discuss the nature of this system and its effects. Mobo Gao grew up in a Chinese village, the child of peasants, during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. Now a professor in the US, he has made it his mission to defend the Cultural Revolution, writing for both a Chinese and a Western audience. He attempts to excavate some of the complexities of this historical period - a complexity typically lacking, not only (and obviously) in those who attack this revolution, but all too typically in Maoist defenders as well. Gao's first book was Gao Village: Rural Life in Modern China, a study of the village in which he grew up (where everyone - yes - shares the family name Gao), based on recent research and interviews supplemented by his own memories. More recently he has written The Battle for China's Past: Mao and the Cultural Revolution. In this book his target is the widespread demonization, in both China and the West (especially in this country), of the Cultural Revolution. His method is not only historical research and reportage, but particularly a contrast of the more mainstream (very negative) accounts with the challenges mounted in the very extensive and active Chinese-language internet-based e-media. Following is an excerpt from the Introduction of this important and fascinating book