While many Chinese may still venerate Mao Zedong (
Instead of remembering Mao with fond tributes, they recall how he persecuted the population of the town after toppling its most famous son -- his onetime ally, former president Liu Shaoqi (劉少奇).
"We all suffered terribly because of him," said Liu Zhuangxian, a great-nephew of the former president.
PHOTO: AFP
"We were discriminated against just because we were Liu Shaoqi's relatives," the 52-year-old said. "I feel quite a bit of hatred towards him, to be honest."
Liu was once Mao's handpicked successor, a close ally who became president in 1959 in the wake of the Great Leap Forward -- an ambitious industrialization scheme that caused an estimated 30 million people to starve to death.
Mao was deeply humiliated by the man-made disaster he engineered and watched the rise of Liu with discomfort.
Liu was purged in the early years of Mao's Cultural Revolution, condemned as a "renegade, traitor and scab." He died after being tortured in prison in 1969.
After Liu was ousted and denounced as an enemy of the state, his entire family was evicted from the house where he used to live. His young relatives were unable to find jobs or marriage partners due to their "black" background.
And then the whole population of Huaminglou -- men, women and children -- was ostracized.
"When we tried to get jobs outside, no one would hire us," said Xiao Guangqiang, whose father died of hunger during the Great Leap Forward.
"When we tried to sell our pears to neighboring towns, no one wanted them," Xiao said.
Analysts today widely agree that the Cultural Revolution that killed millions and took China to the brink of collapse was merely an excuse for Mao to eliminate those he perceived as a political threat -- including Liu.
Yet China's leaders today forbid public criticism of Mao's legacy, because of what analysts say is a fear of open debate that would lead to scrutiny of the current regime and threaten its survival.
Instead, Mao is revered as an almost god-like figure by much of the nation.
Many villagers make incense offerings to his statues in their homes, and travelers carry Mao lucky charms to ensure a safe journey.
Many educated Chinese see him as a national hero who freed his people from the shackles of poverty and foreign occupation associated with the feudalist era.
But Liu Zhuangxian dismisses the public adoration, saying it is simply the result of a legend continually kept alive by the communist regime.
"It's all propaganda," he said. "He has been idolized -- many of his theories were proposed by Liu Shaoqi and other old-generation revolutionaries, but all the glory went to him."
Xiao Xiaocun, 73, said Mao was "useless at governing" and recalled the chaos of Mao's rule.
"There were so many internal conflicts and so many people starved to death," Xiao said. "I don't like him."
Many of Mao's supporters, however, think he was not to blame, pointing to the circle around him -- such as the infamous Gang of Four, which included his wife Jiang Qing (江青).
"I think the Cultural Revolution, the Great Leap Forward, were not really his fault," said Mao Xiaoqing, niece of the late leader and owner of a well-known restaurant in Beijing.
"He always put the interests of the people first and never wanted to hurt them," she said.
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