role-models

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This post is about a visit to the Dazhai Communist Model Village in rural Shanxi. I marvel at a toilet seat used by Jiang Qing.

My new friends the Yang Brothers decided to take me to a place called Dazhai 大寨 in the south of Yangquan:

I don’t think that a lot of young people in China know about this agricultural showcase from the 60s and 70s anymore.

For the older generations though, it remains a unique place. According to state propaganda, a handful of Chinese farmers under the supervision of one Chen Yonggui 陈永贵 managed to transform a barren hill into one of the most successful farming areas in the country. And they had almost no tools.

Now, the whole site caters to Red Tourism (Communist sightseeing):

I find it fascinating to see how people interact with propaganda from a few decades earlier.

cynalgia or nosticism?

Is there an expression that describes a mixture of nostalgic and cynical feelings?

In China, many people seem to be nostalgic about Zhou Enlai 周恩来, the first prime minister of the People’s Republic. When he was staying in Dazhai to observe the agricultural methods applied by Chen Yonggui, this was the radio receiver he used:

Likewise, many people seem to be cynical about Jiang Qing 江青, the publicly despised last wife of Chairman Mao. The official propaganda held her responsible for the destruction dubbed the “Cultural Revolution” in the 60s and 70s. This was her toilet seat:

In a society of squat-toilets, why would she insist on having a velvet seat like this? Did she have any physical problems that required a toilet seat?

The Dazhai Communist Model Village tourist guide just shook her head and smiled. She gave no answer.

It’s very hard to grasp the mixture of feelings I sense here sometimes.

butcher figurines

The last thing we did was: one of my friends acquired his own personal Chairman Mao:

I’ve mentioned it before: Mao can be an idol and an accessory.

This man murdered millions, and he did so with the help of both Zhou Enlai and Jiang Qing.