China marked the 110th anniversary of revolutionary leader Mao Zedong's birth yesterday with a rap song, new books and praise by state media -- but little public notice from the country's increasingly market-oriented communist leaders.
Dozens of plays, exhibitions and television documentaries were scheduled to glorify the life of Mao, the communist founder who led China from 1949 until his death in 1976.
PHOTO: AFP
"The greatness of comrade Mao Zedong (
However, in a sign of Mao's declining political importance, the editorial appeared on page four of the newspaper. The front page was dominated by a picture of current President Hu Jintao (
In a pop culture twist, a rap titled "The Two Musts," after one of the former Great Leader's sayings on politics, appears on a new album titled "Mao Zedong and Us."
Its lyrics say:
"You must preserve modesty and prudence.
"You must preserve the style of plain living and hard struggle."
The low-key official commemoration underscored the desire to hold Mao up as a model of leadership and service, while playing down his destructive political campaigns and vendettas.
Soon after Mao's death, the party began undoing many of his restrictions on private business, as well as some of its intrusions into the arts and private life.
And in a move that would have horrified Mao, the party earlier this week proposed amending the Chinese Constitution to guarantee the right to private property. It will raise the official status of the entrepreneurs who once were considered the enemy but now drive China's economy.
Still, Mao's political theories remain a required course in universities. A steady stream of books, films and even Web sites cater to an abiding interest in his life.
The Mao memorial hall in Shaoshan -- the southern town where he was born on Dec. 26, 1893 -- recently installed multimedia presentations, along with the thousands of pieces of clothing, books, crockware and other articles used by Mao in his daily life, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
Some 40 million people have visited the hall, including top leaders from more than 100 nations, it said.
Commemorations have also delved into the lives of Mao's descendants, none of whom has been prominent in Chinese politics since his death.
Hundreds of protesters marched through the Mexican capital on Friday denouncing gentrification caused by foreigners, with some vandalizing businesses and shouting “gringos out!” The demonstration in the capital’s central area turned violent when hooded individuals smashed windows, damaged restaurant furniture and looted a clothing store. Mexico City Government Secretary Cesar Cravioto said 15 businesses and public facilities were damaged in what he called “xenophobic expressions” similar to what Mexican migrants have suffered in other countries. “We are a city of open arms... there are always ways to negotiate, to sit at the table,” Cravioto told Milenio television. Neighborhoods like Roma-Condesa
‘CONTINUE TO SERVE’: The 90-year-old Dalai Lama said he hoped to be able to continue serving ‘sentient beings and the Buddha Dharma’ for decades to come The Dalai Lama yesterday said he dreamed of living for decades more, as the Buddhist spiritual leader prayed with thousands of exiled Tibetans on the eve of his 90th birthday. Thumping drums and deep horns reverberated from the Indian hilltop temple, as a chanting chorus of red-robed monks and nuns offered long-life prayers for Tenzin Gyatso, who followers believe is the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. Looking in good health, dressed in traditional maroon monk robes and a flowing yellow wrap, he led prayers — days after confirming that the 600-year-old Tibetan Buddhist institution would continue after his death. Many exiled Tibetans
Dozens of residents have evacuated remote islands in southern Japan that have been shaken by nearly 1,600 earthquakes in recent weeks, the local mayor said yesterday. There has been no major physical damage on hardest-hit Akuseki island, even after a magnitude 5.1 quake that struck overnight, said Toshima Mayor Genichiro Kubo, who is based on another island. However, the almost nonstop jolts since June 21 have caused severe stress to area residents, many of whom have been deprived of sleep. Of the 89 residents of Akuseki, 44 had evacuated to the regional hub of Kagoshima by Sunday, while 15 others also left another
CEREMONY EXPECTED: Abdullah Ocalan said he believes in the power of politics and social peace, not weapons, and called on the group to put that into practice The jailed leader of a Kurdish militant group yesterday renewed a call for his fighters to lay down their arms, days before a symbolic disarmament ceremony is expected to take place as a first concrete step in a peace process with the Turkish state. In a seven-minute video message broadcast on pro-Kurdish Medya Haber’s YouTube channel, Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), said that the peace initiative had reached a stage that required practical steps. “It should be considered natural for you to publicly ensure the disarmament of the relevant groups in a way that addresses the expectations
RSS