In China, the Cult Continues

China is changing, right? Perhaps in many economic respects yes, but state controls the media, social order remains conservatives, and it looks as if the cult of Mao is still strong. It appears, then, that China is not making a move any time soon to back away from controlling Tibet and repressing the Tibetan people.

The Chinese authorities say they are putting up a huge statue of Chairman Mao Zedong in Tibet.

The 35-ton memorial is being built to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the former leader’s death.

It is being erected in Gonggar County, near the Tibetan capital Lhasa, China’s state-run news agency Xinhua said.

The statue will rise 7m from a 5m pedestal strengthened to withstand earthquakes. Mao Zedong ordered the Chinese takeover of Tibet in 1950.

The statue will be the central landmark of Gonggar County’s Shangcha square, which covers about 40,000 sq metres, and is scheduled for completion in July.

According to the Beijing authorities, the statue of Mao Zedong will be the largest of its kind in China and the first in Tibet.

Changsha, capital of Hunan province and Mao’s hometown, has donated 6.5m yuan ($811,000; £461,000) towards the cost of the plaza and statue, Xinhua reported.

“Many Tibetan people suggested we should have a statue of Chairman Mao to show our gratitude,” a local Communist Party official told Xinhua:

Mixed reaction

The BBC’s Daniel Griffiths in China says the statue is likely to get a mixed reaction from many Tibetans.

From Beijing’s perspective, the area has been part of China for centuries. But for many, the Chinese government is…

Posted by atrain
Ari Paul has written for The American Prospect, In These Times, Tikkun, Z, Punk Planet, openDemocracy.net, Reason and other newspapers and magazines. He is also a reporter for The Chief-Leader, a New York weekly covering labor in the city.

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