Women’s libber, military commander, economist, revolutionary, democrat, politician: he did more good for more people and less harm than anyone in history.
Great piece! To the list of what Mao was, you could also add Poet and Calligrapher. Mao wrote some of the most magnificent Chinese poems of all time, and his cursive style calligraphy, which fully expresses the heroic abandon aspect of his personality, is first class. The land reform, which liberated China's hundreds of millions of poor peasants, and the laying of the foundation of heavy industry, both thanks to Mao, are two crucial building blocks of the unprecedented success of China's development in the last four decades. My personal opinion is that Mao was at least one the greatest human beings ever, and arguably the greatest.
I wish you could tell me about the time of the so called Gang of Four and Mao’s last years when his wife became ascendant. I would like to know more about that period through a non western lens
Sidney Rittenberg, who knew them well, viewed the Gang of Four's ruthless methods as a distortion of revolutionary ideals, leading to unnecessary suffering (including his own solitary confinement). I agree.
Great piece! To the list of what Mao was, you could also add Poet and Calligrapher. Mao wrote some of the most magnificent Chinese poems of all time, and his cursive style calligraphy, which fully expresses the heroic abandon aspect of his personality, is first class. The land reform, which liberated China's hundreds of millions of poor peasants, and the laying of the foundation of heavy industry, both thanks to Mao, are two crucial building blocks of the unprecedented success of China's development in the last four decades. My personal opinion is that Mao was at least one the greatest human beings ever, and arguably the greatest.
Thanks for the suggestion. It's worthy of an article in itself.
：）
Il n'est point de secret que le Temps ne révèle.
Jean Racine 1680
Thanks, Godfree, quite interesting. By the way, I have a Mao medallion hanging from the rearview window of my car, Mike Liston
Superb article! Thank you!
I wish you could tell me about the time of the so called Gang of Four and Mao’s last years when his wife became ascendant. I would like to know more about that period through a non western lens
Sidney Rittenberg, who knew them well, viewed the Gang of Four's ruthless methods as a distortion of revolutionary ideals, leading to unnecessary suffering (including his own solitary confinement). I agree.