The Founding of The Republic

The Founding of a Republic…
Mao was a nasty piece of work I believed. I happily wandered off to the cinema yesterday. I saw a film most people, I guess, reading this will never see. Mainly because China has only managed to sell it  to two or three other countries in total.

‘The Founding of a Republic.’ Not a masterpiece in any sense of the word but as a British 21 year old I found it absolutely extraordinary. When first came to China having Mao on all of my yuan confused me. It was as if the Germans still had Hitler on their deutchmarks or euros, or the Italians with Mussolini. I asked one of my friends about it and was told the Chinese felt that it was ‘ about the good he did for China.’ Was she joking? No. This was the murderous criminal I had been taught about.

‘The Founding of a Republic’is made as a present to the Chinese peoples motherland in celebration of its 60th anniversary. At first I was intrigued wanting to learn as much about China’s history as I could. You start to like Mao, feel for the Chinese people and learn about the disruption and anguish their country has suffered in the first half of the 20th century. The audience often threw their heads back in laughter at moments, I have to confess as a foreigner I didn’t really get the joke…

As the film went in the political power struggles, struggle of the people and individuals choosing between good and evil there were scenes that were comedy. The propaganda was so in-your-face it me and my friends were all joking about it as Mao spins his daughter around in the brilliant sunlight and colourful flowers and laughingly he teaches her how to say “I am Chinese.’ Not to mention some outrageous editing of history all together. Cuts to the bad guys in long black coat and sunglasses with guns… this men-in-black style is totally un-Chinese. I assume comes from Hollywood more than anywhere else. There were also parts that were remarkably hypocritical as the communist revolutionaries condemn the old government for beating their own people. Mao has been estimated to be responsible for around 6 million of the Chinese people’s deaths. This is a country that still has displays of execution today. The final scene was the union of all the old government members who had not been killed, black-mailed and were still willing to work with Mao, with Mao’s communist party voting for all of Mao’s decisions unanimously. Ha- ha yeah right you jokers.
 Still as I left the national holiday Chinese flags were waving and the people were moon cake buying ready to celebrate the ‘People’s’ republic 60th anniversary.

The next day I left work early to explore a museum/ art gallery ‘The Propaganda Posters from the time of Mao. ‘It was all just like the film ?? What’s the difference between now and then. Original Little Red Books full of communist doctrine are on sale like a historic reminder of the past… erm.. as far as I’m aware China still calls itself communist. This isn’t history this is now. I even saw the phrase Mao died [...] and so did his power crazed wife a few years after him (who is celebrated in many posters for how well she spread communist doctrine) Is that what we are celebrating? It was written in China Daily newspaper in defense of the film that people today are far too intelligent to be sucked in by propaganda. However the propaganda posters in the museum were only around 50 years ago. I can’t be so arrogant as too assume that my generation is any more intelligent than previous ones just because we have seen more films. I would love to know you’re view on this. Living in China more and more I am struck by the seeming innocence of the people. They’re generally amazingly generous, kind and curious people. The idea of speaking out against the government is not a possibility and I’ve heard through the expats no one will tolerate westerner slating communism. Do the Chinese turn a blind eye? Are they too scared to speak out? Or do they party in the memory of beloved Mao?