Shades of Mao: The Posthumous Cult of the Great Leader (88 page)

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Authors: Geremie Barme

Tags: #History, #Asia, #China, #Literary Criticism, #Asian, #Chinese, #Political Science, #Political Ideologies, #Communism; Post-Communism & Socialism, #World, #General, #test

BOOK: Shades of Mao: The Posthumous Cult of the Great Leader
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Page 273
to the countryside. Shortly before his death Lu Xun wrote to the effect that: When facing death Europeans have a tradition of begging for forgiveness or forgiving others. But I will continue to let my enemies detest me and I will forgive none of them. It was a significant stance. . . .
Mao did leave behind one work that can be regarded as his last will and testament. It was a letter he wrote to his wife, Jiang Qing, dated 8 July 1966. The Politburo of the Party released an edited version of this letter in 1972. Many Chinese have thought of it as being the most important thing Mao ever wrote. The centenary of Mao's birth provides a perfect occasion for me to quote a few paragraphs from it:
Ruan Ji of the Jin dynasty thought little of [the founder of the Han dynasty] Liu Bang and on his way from Luoyang to Cheng Hao [in Henan] he stopped at Guangwu to view the site of the battle between the states of Chu and Han [which led to Liu Bang's victory] and he sighed: "there were no true heroes that's why a minion [like Liu] could make a name for himself."
7
Lu Xun has made similar remarks in his essays. Lu Xun and I are like-minded men. I appreciate his frankness. He said that it is always much harder to dissect yourself than it is to analyse others. After slipping up a few times I feel very much the same. But other comrades won't accept this to be the case. I'm sure of myself but I also lack confidence. When I was a lad I said that: the confident live 200 years and can send the water flying for 3,000
li.
See how cocky I was then. But I'm not all that sure. I always have the sense that since there are no lions in the mountains the monkey has crowned itself king. That's the type of king I am. I'm not being eclectic here but I do feel that I'm possessed of a tiger spirit, and it is the guiding force in my personality; the monkey spirit is secondary to it.
In the past I've quoted some lines from a letter written by Li Gu of the Latter Han dynasty to Huang Qiong. He said: "`that which is too high is easily found deficient just as that which is pure is easily sullied.' There are certain songs which few can join in chorus. Few great men can live up to their reputation."
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This last line describes me perfectly. . . .
But things always turn into their own opposite. The higher you climb the harder you'll fall. I'm prepared to be dashed to pieces in the fall. It's no big deal. Nothing is created or destroyed, only broken up. There are over 100 political parties in the world and the majority don't believe in Marxism-Leninism. People have pulverized Marxism-Leninism, so you can imagine what will happen to us. . . .
I predict that if there is an anti-communist right-wing coup in China they won't have a day of peace; it may even be very short lived. That's because the Revolutionaries who represent the interests of over 90 percent of the people won't tolerate it. Then the Rightists may well use what I have said to keep in power for a time, but the Leftists will organize themselves around other things I have said and overthrow them. The Cultural Revolution is a full-scale exercise. . . .
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Due to the limitations of space I cannot quote the letter in full. This may lead to further misunderstandings about Mao, but there has already been so much confusion in regard to him it doesn't really matter. This quotation allows you to see into the workings of Mao's mind. If this isn't sufficient then perhaps nothing can make people really think about and understand him.
In fact, in relation to the evaluation of Mao, I believe that he can teach us something. This letter vibrates with a mordant brilliance; it is a powerful and rich text that presents us with a living image of Mao. No one else could possibly have written such a beautiful thing. I've read it twice: once in 1972 and again recently. Although I have savoured the letter I must confess that I still cannot claim to understand exactly what he means. It fills me with inexplicably complex emotions.
With his death China's age of great men came to an end. The masses felt a sense of loss. They have not yet found an alternative. That is to say that despite the passing of time, when the masses feel themselves discriminated against and oppressed they can think of no other leader than Mao Zedong.
Despite all the talk of international peace for our ancient motherland of China the New World Order is a pitiless killer and every Chinese will have to face its onslaught one day. In the future world justice will continue to be frustrated and there will be no such thing as compassion; nor will anyone stand up for the dispossessed.
The name Mao Zedong will remain eternally a symbol of rebellion against this new order. His prestige may well gradually rise among the masses once more. Of course, Mao Zedong must be criticized in human terms, but ironically, for Chinese like me who continue to oppose neo-colonialism, the international balance of power makes it necessary for us to look to him as a bastion of human dignity.
It is in this light, for the people of China and of the poor nations throughout the world who are confronted with the new international scene, it is possible that the influence and significance of Mao Zedong will gain a new lease of life.
When we were young we only ever called him "Chairman Mao." Everyone chanted "Long live Chairman Mao!" But later people got used to calling him simply Mao Zedong without an honorific, but that always sounded somewhat denigrating. However, now to call him "Chairman Mao" [as I have in the title of this article] seems to require a measure of courage.
The word "grafitti" has a connotation of playfulness, or at least it conveys a sense of something that is less than serious. I would have never thought of using such a word in connection with His name. By deliberately

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