Body & Soul0 min ago
Mao - The Unknown Story
8 Answers
I am in the process of reading 'Mao - The Unknown Story' by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday
It's a long book, over 800 pages, and I have almost finished it.
If anyone has not read this account of the life of Chairman Mao, it is a very emotional account of the life of probably the greatest mass murderer in history.
As a direct result of his policies, he was responsible for the deaths of 70 million OF HIS OWN PEOPLE.
Just one example, to further his aims to make China a world superpower, he forced his people into starvation by selling most of the foodstuff they produced to buy knowledge and hardware, mainly from Soviet Russia, with the ultimate aim of obtaining nuclear weapons.
As a result of this policy in 1960 alone (less than 50 years ago) over 22 MILLION Chinese people died of starvation.
It is an excellent read for anyone who is interested in learning how one man can be responsible for so much cruelty to his own people. It puts the actions of Hitler and Stalin into the shade.
It's a long book, over 800 pages, and I have almost finished it.
If anyone has not read this account of the life of Chairman Mao, it is a very emotional account of the life of probably the greatest mass murderer in history.
As a direct result of his policies, he was responsible for the deaths of 70 million OF HIS OWN PEOPLE.
Just one example, to further his aims to make China a world superpower, he forced his people into starvation by selling most of the foodstuff they produced to buy knowledge and hardware, mainly from Soviet Russia, with the ultimate aim of obtaining nuclear weapons.
As a result of this policy in 1960 alone (less than 50 years ago) over 22 MILLION Chinese people died of starvation.
It is an excellent read for anyone who is interested in learning how one man can be responsible for so much cruelty to his own people. It puts the actions of Hitler and Stalin into the shade.
Answers
1 to 8 of 8
Best Answer
No best answer has yet been selected by denis567. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.
One thing I forgot to mention, which shows what sort of evil person Mao was. His son had only been married a few months when he went to the Korean war, he had only been in Korea a month when he was killed.
Even though his wife used to spend weekends with Mao and went on holiday with him, she wasn't told of her husband's death for two and a half years.
Even though his wife used to spend weekends with Mao and went on holiday with him, she wasn't told of her husband's death for two and a half years.
I haven't read that book, but I have studied Chinese history on and off for over ten years.
Part of the problem with the exports was that the state cadres used to inflate the figures to get commendations from the party, that and the change from co-operatives to collectives and the bird scaring program.
Another aspect you need to consider is the character of the Chinese themselves, Confucianism was taught in China for a little over 2000 years in every school (until 1905 I think) it's effectively ingrained into the Chinese pysche.
One of the kernels of Confucian wisdom is that you must be willing to sacrifice yourself for the good of empire (read state), kings (of old) were venerated by Confucious for ceding power to greater kingdoms for the good of the people.
The P.R.C is just another Chinese dynasty, all it's actions can be found to be mirrored in it's own dynastic history, there were several purges of Confucianists, Taoists and Buddhists dependant on who was in favour with the reigning emperor, which was no different to the cultural revolution.
Indeed every aspect of of the P.R.C is mirrored in British history, the Peterloo massacre (Tianamen Square), read Wordsworth for recording of the famine in England closely followed by Scotland and then Ireland, you also had the land clearances as we moved to sheep and cattle farming (collectivisation etc).
China's come a very long way in a very short time, economically it was behind Africa at the end of the revolution (how many famines have they had?) and on a par with India (ditto), how do you build a country in 60 years?
You should read Xinran's boooks "The Good Women Of China" and "China Witness" she's not a fan of the P.R.C (I think she's inclined to Yuenist neo-traditionalism), my ex is Chinese and her father left China in 1948 with his father and younger brother, his eldest brother remained to look after the family's business, when the Communists ca
Part of the problem with the exports was that the state cadres used to inflate the figures to get commendations from the party, that and the change from co-operatives to collectives and the bird scaring program.
Another aspect you need to consider is the character of the Chinese themselves, Confucianism was taught in China for a little over 2000 years in every school (until 1905 I think) it's effectively ingrained into the Chinese pysche.
One of the kernels of Confucian wisdom is that you must be willing to sacrifice yourself for the good of empire (read state), kings (of old) were venerated by Confucious for ceding power to greater kingdoms for the good of the people.
The P.R.C is just another Chinese dynasty, all it's actions can be found to be mirrored in it's own dynastic history, there were several purges of Confucianists, Taoists and Buddhists dependant on who was in favour with the reigning emperor, which was no different to the cultural revolution.
Indeed every aspect of of the P.R.C is mirrored in British history, the Peterloo massacre (Tianamen Square), read Wordsworth for recording of the famine in England closely followed by Scotland and then Ireland, you also had the land clearances as we moved to sheep and cattle farming (collectivisation etc).
China's come a very long way in a very short time, economically it was behind Africa at the end of the revolution (how many famines have they had?) and on a par with India (ditto), how do you build a country in 60 years?
You should read Xinran's boooks "The Good Women Of China" and "China Witness" she's not a fan of the P.R.C (I think she's inclined to Yuenist neo-traditionalism), my ex is Chinese and her father left China in 1948 with his father and younger brother, his eldest brother remained to look after the family's business, when the Communists ca
It cut me off!
Came he was denounced as bourgeois, he told his mother he was going upstairs "for a bit" (she knew what he meant) an hour so later she went upstairs with his sister to cut him down after he'd hung himself.
Many years later as an old man he was playing mahjong with his friend who asked him "was Mao good for China?" he said to me he had to say "I don't know", the revolution took his brother's life and much of his property (he got it back in the 90s) which I think offers a good insight into the Chinese psyche.
Who out of China's neighbours and peers have fared better?
Malaysia (yes?), Singapore (yes?), India? Thailand? South Korea? Pakistan? Bangladesh? Anywhere in Africa?
The fact that his son died in the Korean war (I didn't know that) is surely to his credit, despite his exalted position within the state he didn't seek to inure himself completely from the sufferings of the people.
That's as close as I can remember the latter part of that muse.
Came he was denounced as bourgeois, he told his mother he was going upstairs "for a bit" (she knew what he meant) an hour so later she went upstairs with his sister to cut him down after he'd hung himself.
Many years later as an old man he was playing mahjong with his friend who asked him "was Mao good for China?" he said to me he had to say "I don't know", the revolution took his brother's life and much of his property (he got it back in the 90s) which I think offers a good insight into the Chinese psyche.
Who out of China's neighbours and peers have fared better?
Malaysia (yes?), Singapore (yes?), India? Thailand? South Korea? Pakistan? Bangladesh? Anywhere in Africa?
The fact that his son died in the Korean war (I didn't know that) is surely to his credit, despite his exalted position within the state he didn't seek to inure himself completely from the sufferings of the people.
That's as close as I can remember the latter part of that muse.
Don't misunderstand me, I'm not a fan of Mao's, he made some terrible mistakes (trying to make steel in every town for one), but he did galvanise the people and his was (for China) a new idea, he lifted the peasants out of poverty in what was at the time a rural country, within a few years of the revolution his armies faced doown all the western powers in U.N during the Korean war. This in a country whose whole state exchequer had been stolen (if memory serves) by the K.M.D and shipped to Formosa.
Is this the book that states that Mao welcomed the war with Japan and didn't go on the long The Long March?
As an aside what does say about the Sino Vietnamese war of 1979?
I've seen very little written about the war in around De Tien, so know only about the western ideas as to it's causes (which sound plausible enough) and that it's outcome signified the full end of the cultural revolution.
Having read that book you should look at Xinran's books I mentioned (particuarly "China Witness") as it gives you an insight into life for many ordinary people during this time.
Is this the book that states that Mao welcomed the war with Japan and didn't go on the long The Long March?
As an aside what does say about the Sino Vietnamese war of 1979?
I've seen very little written about the war in around De Tien, so know only about the western ideas as to it's causes (which sound plausible enough) and that it's outcome signified the full end of the cultural revolution.
Having read that book you should look at Xinran's books I mentioned (particuarly "China Witness") as it gives you an insight into life for many ordinary people during this time.
123everton, Sorry, I have been away for a few days.
Mao, The Unknown Story does make the point that Mao was in favour of war with Japan, as long as someone else did the fighting, namely the Nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek.
Also regarding the Long March, he did indeed go on the march, but he was apparently feigning illness, and he was carried on a litter for most of the journey.
As you have been studying Chinese history, I can thoroughly recommend this book, as it concentrates on Mao's cruel, vindictive and scheming nature where he used terror to get his own way.
Mao, The Unknown Story does make the point that Mao was in favour of war with Japan, as long as someone else did the fighting, namely the Nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek.
Also regarding the Long March, he did indeed go on the march, but he was apparently feigning illness, and he was carried on a litter for most of the journey.
As you have been studying Chinese history, I can thoroughly recommend this book, as it concentrates on Mao's cruel, vindictive and scheming nature where he used terror to get his own way.
The Great War Of Resistance was prosecuted largely by the Communists alone, the G.M.D did have American support (men and materiel) after Pearl Harbour, but left to their own devices they attacked the Communists with greater gusto.
Chang Kai Shek was no better his politics were viewed as Fascism in all but name, post war Taiwan was not a bastion of freedom either, he even had a political enemy brought over from China with him and placed under house arrest for the whole of his life.
Terror is a norm in civil wars you will see pictures of half naked Communist supporting women locked in cages with nooses around their necks able only to stand on their toes to breathe, Asian wars are brutal.
It won't mention the Sino/Viet war as Mao was dead by then, DOH!
You should read Xinran's books, it covers the same period only from the ordinary person's perspective.
Chang Kai Shek was no better his politics were viewed as Fascism in all but name, post war Taiwan was not a bastion of freedom either, he even had a political enemy brought over from China with him and placed under house arrest for the whole of his life.
Terror is a norm in civil wars you will see pictures of half naked Communist supporting women locked in cages with nooses around their necks able only to stand on their toes to breathe, Asian wars are brutal.
It won't mention the Sino/Viet war as Mao was dead by then, DOH!
You should read Xinran's books, it covers the same period only from the ordinary person's perspective.
1 to 8 of 8
