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October 4, 2000
Chairman Mao's Home Town
The Foreign Affairs Office took some foreign teachers on a trip to Shaoshan, the homeplace of Mao Zedong. The teachers were from the U. S., Russia, and Japan. Some of the Chinese teachers in the Foreign Language Department also went. Mr. Mao was born as a peasant in the mountainous region of Hunan Province. The town is a 2.5 hour ride from Changsha. It starts on a good express way and ends on very narrow and curvy mountainous roads.
This trip took place on October 2, the day after National Day when China celebrated the victory of the Communist Party over the Kuomintang of Mr. Chang Kaishek. The roads were crowded with people beginning a weeks holiday. At times our small bus weaved between crowds of people filling the roads as small villages held what we called "garage sales." Of course, there are no garages in the villages, but it had the energy and excitement that a large and well stocked garage sale causes among those who frequent them. The villagers don't often see such a wide variety of consumer items and foods.
We visited a museum chronicling the grass roots organzation of Chairman Mao. There were many photos and artifacts. It helped me understand how it was that the Communists defeated the Kuomintang after a 30 year civil war. They organized in the countryside, walking huge distances and speaking to the peasants. They organized the workers in the cities, and linked with the intellectuals also. We also had an opportunity to hike in the hills and visited the graves of Mao's grandparents.
The Kuomintang had a presence mainly in the cities. However, they recruited peasants for their armies. After they no longer needed them they just said, "You can go home now," no matter where in China they were. These were illiterate peasants. Many of them had never been outside the area of their home village. They had no idea where they were, they could not read, and often could not speak the local dialect. The Communist organizers were there to offer them help and to guide them back to their homes. It is no wonder they joined the revolution against the Kuomintang.
The museums did not mention the Kuomintang often. What I know about them from my reading is that they were organized by Chang Kaishek, who was hand picked by the U. S. government to lead China. He was selected because he was U. S. educated and a Christian, so the government thought he would be acceptable to the U. S. public. A very good book on the history of China, written by a U. S. historian, is China, by John Fairbanks.
We visited the birthplace of Mao. A surprisingly large set of buildings in the countryside. It was confiscated by the Kuomintang when they occupied this part of China. Later it was declared a National Historical Site and has been refurnished by relying on the memories of people in the area.
Many interested interactions occur when I travel away from the big cities. Twice, at Mao's home, people came up to me and asked if I would mind having my picture taken with them. Two of Kathy's students were at the museum, and I have included a picture of them on the album page.
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