Modern History

Richard Nixon’s message to China about his willingness to open negotiations with it received a positive response. This led to Henry Kissinger making a secret trip to China for preliminary negotiations. […]

With both Nixon and Mao looking to change the strategic equation between their two countries, they decided to consider the possibility of a dialogue. However, they were met with strong political resistance on both sides. […]

Many of Mao’s political views were a result of some of his personal experiences: his early marriage, his job as a librarian’s assistant, and his experiences at school […]

Mao re-entered the Chinese political scene with a splash. On July 16, 1966, after several months of absence, his photo was spread across the front page of the People’s Daily—swimming in the Yangzi River. […]

In the new phase of revolution, Chairman Mao bypassed the regular Communist Party apparatus and instead appealed directly to the young people of China. […]

Mao Zedong disappeared for a while to prepare for an attack against his adversaries. Yao Wenyuan’s critique of Wu Han’s opera, “The Dismissal of Hai Rui” was the first blow, leading to far-reaching consequences. […]

China’s intellectuals employed subtle and indirect ways to criticize Chairman Mao. Carefully disguised works of political criticism, parody, and satire appeared in the Chinese mass media in various forms. […]

Chairman Mao’s absolutist views led to attacks on writers, artists, and philosophers. He turned his wrath upon China’s educational system as well, and severely criticized the “erroneous methods” being used to educate China’s children. […]

‘Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong’ was a collection of Mao’s pithiest precepts, aphorisms, and homilies collated by Lin Biao. It was meant to revive Mao’s personality cult among the army and China’s young population. […]