Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong

Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong (毛主席語錄), better known as The Little Red Book, has been published by the PRC Government since 1966. As its title implies, it is a collection of quotations excerpted from Mao's past speeches and publications. The book's alternative title The Little Red Book was coined by the West for its pocket-sized edition, which was specifically printed and sold to facilitate easy carrying, but that name is in fact never used and bears no meaning in China.

With the estimated number in print well exceeding one billion, it is certainly a record in Mainland China, if not the world. The book's phenomenal popularity, however, is due to the fact that it was essentially an unofficial requirement for every Chinese citizen to own, to read, and to carry it at all times under Mao's rule, especially during the Great Cultural Revolution. During the turmoil, the punishment for failing to produce the book upon being asked would range from being beaten on spot by Red Guards to being given years of hard-labor imprisonment. After the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976 and the rise of Deng Xiaoping, the importance of the book waned considerably. In fact, the book is worth no more than a piece of memorabilia today.

During the Cultural Revolution, studying the book was not only required in schools (from primary grades to universities), but was also a standard practice in the workplace as well. All units, in the industrial, commercial, agricultural, civil service, and military sectors, organized group sessions for the entire workforce to study the book during working hours. To defend against the theory that it would be counter-productive, the Communist Party of China's propaganda machine argued that understanding Mao's quotes could definitely bring about enlightenment to the unit, resulting in production improvement to offset the time lost. Unfortunately, China's GNP as estimated by the West during the period certainly indicated otherwise (such figures were either concealed or exaggerated by the PRC govenment).

There was also a time when the book was the single most visible icon in China, even more visible than the image of the Chairman himself. In posters and pictures created by CPC's propaganda artists, nearly every painted character (except Mao himself), either smiling or looking determined, was always seen with a copy of the book in his/her hand (see attached illustration).

Mao's quotations are categorized into 33 chapters in the book. Its topics mainly deal with ideologies in the Chinese version of Socialism (or Maoism).

External links

• The Little Red Book (http://art-bin.com/art/omaotoc)