Mao and Confucius Go Mano a Mano in Tiananmen Square
January 14, 2011 § 9 Comments
In an historical twist that ranks pretty high on the irony scale, Confucius and Mao Zedong are now going mano a mano in Tian’anmen Square.
In this Square, atop the Tian’anmen Gate, Mao in 1949 proclaimed the establishment of the People’s Republic of China to to the Chinese people and the rest of the world. And in this Square hangs the iconic 15-by-20-foot oil painting of Mao—the one that has long been beamed into our living rooms by the nightly news.
In this Square, too, Mao launched the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s-70s, a key part of which was an anti-Confucius campaign calling for the total obliteration of the “feudal” thinking and feudal social practices associated with the Confucian tradition. Loyal Red Guards, heeding Mao’s call, wrote in the People’s Daily (1/10/67): “To struggle against Confucius, the feudal mummy, and thoroughly eradicate …reactionary Confucianism is one of our important tasks in the Great Cultural Revolution.” And then, to make their point, they went on a nation-wide rampage, destroying temples, statues, historical landmarks, texts, and anything at all to do with the ancient Sage.
But now, just two days ago (on Wednesday January 12), in this same Square, an imposing, 30-foot bronze statue of Mao’s old enemy–and China’s ancient Sage–Confucius, was erected.
It stands at the northern gate of the National Museum of China, facing Mao’s dimpled portrait.
It’s safe to assume that the Great Helmsman would not be happy sharing his space with the ancient Sage. But what’s this statuary-portraiture showdown at Tian’anmen about?
It’s certainly not one that could easily have been imagined even a few short years ago. But Confucianism is now enjoying a revival. Government officials quote from the Analects of Confucius, the publication of books about Confucius and his teachings is flourishing, and the study of Confucian thought and writings has taken hold in universities—as well as in primary and secondary schools.
How sincere and how enduring is this so-called Confucian revival? We can’t know–yet.
But what we can know is that by placing the 17-ton bronze statue in such a favored, almost sacred, space, the Chinese government is lending its unambiguous endorsement to the Sage’s resuscitation.
This is a bit shocking to me. Is there any special events going on or this is perminent?
Wide coverage in the Chinese press and in China’s English press (e.g., People’s Daily, China Daily, Global Times, Xinhua, and CNTV) suggests that the government is making a strong statement about Confucius’ legitimate role in China today. There’s been no mention of the statue being impermanent, or serving to celebrate a particular event or festival. And, at 17-tons, we’d have to suspect that the statue isn’t going to be doing much moving.
Not so much a Confucian revival more the intellectual recognition of the real effect Mao had on China ?
I agree that the statue says as much–or even more–about the attitude toward Mao. But his picture will stay in the Square, as the CCP’s legitimacy is still tied to Mao.
At the same time, the statue of Confucius plays to Chinese pride in their culture, a pride the government wishes to promote; and, given the widening fissures in China and the growing threat to social stability, Confucius’ message of harmony is likely more appealing to the present leadership than Mao’s message of “class struggle.”
[...] del monumento.No faltó quién calificará la instalación de la estatua de Confucio de ser una broma pesada por parte del gobierno y ahora que fue armonizada, el director del museo encargado de la estatua pidió que por favor no [...]
[...] faltó quién calificará la instalación de la estatua de Confucio de ser una broma pesada por parte del gobierno y ahora que fue armonizada, el director del museo encargado de la estatua pidió que por favor no [...]
[...] faltó quién calificará la instalación de la estatua de Confucio de ser una broma pesada por parte del gobierno y ahora que fue armonizada, el director del museo encargado de la estatua pidió que por favor no [...]
[...] faltó quién calificará la instalación de la estatua de Confucio de ser una broma pesada por parte del gobierno y ahora que fue armonizada, el director del museo encargado de la estatua pidió que por favor no [...]
[...] CDT.Confucius has become the face of China’s soft power campaign. Since 2011, a statue of the ancient Chinese sage has ironically faced the portrait of Chairman Mao - a man who declared war on Confucianism - in Tiananmen [...]