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Mao for Beginners
An internationally acclaimed Mexican caricaturist and political cartoonist offers an amusing, irreverent, comic-strip introduction to the life and thought of China's greatest revolutionary
171 pages, Paperback
First published June 12, 1980
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About the author
Richard Appignanesi
113 books39 followersRichard Appignanesi is a published adapter and an author of young adult books. Published credits of Richard Appignanesi include Manga Shakespeare: Julius Caesar (Manga Shakespeare), Manga Shakespeare: Macbeth (Manga Shakespeare), Manga Shakespeare: Hamlet (Manga Shakespeare), and Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet (Manga Shakespeare).
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 12, 2024
Amazing! Grassroots orgs should pivot to communicate complex ideas and histories in this accessible style that features small amounts of text paired with an array of cartoons, paintings, and images. A fast introductory text that manages still to communicate volumes and keep all types of readers engaged!
August 8, 2023
A POPULAR AND EASY-TO-READ INTRODUCTION TO MAO AND CHINA
This 1980 book begins, “The story of Mao Tse-Tung is the story of modern China. If Mao hadn’t existed there would be no People’s Republic of China today. Though Mao would have said that it was thanks to the Communist Party and the brave peasants that China was liberated, not thanks to him…” (Pg. 7)
The book recounts, “China was, even in the 20th century, a feudal-bureaucratic country. At the top of the power pyramid sat the Emperor, served by thousands of local officials who extorted grain tax from the starving peasants. Peasants were at the bottom of the pyramid, oppressed by both the landlord and bureaucrats. The ideology of this ruling class was Confucianism, whose voluminous ‘Classics’ were used to justify the workings of society. Landlords bought an education and official positions for their sons. Bureaucrats bought land as an economic bolster to their government positions.” (Pg. 15)
Later, it adds, “An intensely nationalist group of young patriots, the majority of the students, educated abroad, organized the Tong Menghui, or Revolutionary Alliance. Their leader was Dr. Sun Yatsen. Sun Yatsen had studied and lived outside China. His family was wealthy. Sun represented the ideas of Chinese living abroad, of overcoming British dominance and making China a European-style bourgeois republic.” (Pg. 38-39)
e
It explains, “In Changsha, 1918, Mao founded the New Citizens Society, a discussion group of energetic young activists… In Peking, Mao fell in love with Yang Kaihui, daughter of a professor of philosophy. They married in 1921 and had two sons. Contrary to Chinese custom, Mao and Yang married for love.” (Pg. 50, 52)
It reports, “when Mao was a student … his first published articles were about the unhappy position of women in traditional China… From early on, Mao emphasized how much worse off women were than men in feudal China because they were dominated by their husbands AND parents-in-law. This was in accordance with the Confucian ethical system. Mao’s concern for the position of women continued throughout his life. The first law passed in the People’s Republic, after liberation, was the Land Law which gave women equal rights to hold land. This was followed by the Marriage Law which protected girls against arranged marriages and provided for divorce.” (Pg. 54-56)
It states, “In 1925, the pro-Japanese government in Peking felt obliged to approach Sun Yatsen and propose a conference on the theme: ‘the peaceful unification of the country.’ Sun, in turn, proposed the democratic of a National Assembly to rule China without foreign intervention. But Sun died suddenly of cancer shortly after his arrival in Peking. The Kuomintang was left in the hands of Chiang Kaishek.” (Pg. 61)
It continues, “It wasn’t General Chiang Kaishek, but the fighting spirit of the peasants and workers which demolished the resistance of the warlords… In the rural areas millions of peasants were flocking to peasant associations and rising against the landlords. Chiang Kaishek’s army rode to victory on the crest of this mass upheaval.” (Pg. 62-63)
It reports, “The Chinese Communists … organize a workers’ insurrection against the military rulers n Shanghai… The workers are about to seize power, when … Chiang Kaishek had diverted his army towards Shanghai… [He] negotiated secretly with the bankers who promised him big money from the western powers if he cooperated… General Chiang Kaishek’s troops turned against the Shanghai workers. In a bloody massacre almost all members of the Communist Party were killed.” (Pg. 70-71)
Before long, “Chiang Kaishek wanted to get rid of the Reds [i.e., Mao]. Mao wanted to get rid of Chiang. And … Imperial Japan was about to start the formal invasion of China. Chiang was indifferent---too busy with Mao. Mao, instead, thought the main enemy was Japan, and he was even willing to unite with Chiang to combat Japan.” (Pg. 102-103)
It notes, “What did Mao say fuels the whole process of revolution? The Masses! Formerly they lived at the margin of existence, their livelihood prey to natural disasters, their very existence under the control of all-powerful landlords. Mao knew that if they were offered a way out, they would take it; and Mao was able to show them that this way out was through a whole range of cooperative methods…” (Pg. 114)
After the war, “Chiang’s troops were rearmed with American weapons and a massive American airlift moved them all over China to help him reestablish control… Unfortunately, by 1949, almost all of China (and most of the American arms) were in Mao’s hands.” (Pg. 121)
Ultimately, on October 1, 1949, “From the Celestial Peace entrance to the Imperial Palace of Peking, Mao Tsetung proclaimed the establishment of The People’s Republic of China.” (Pg. 123) “Stalin had backed Chiang Kaishek right to the end. But now he had to recognize political reality. He.. invited [Mao] to Moscow. Mao came back from this trip with aid from the Socialist giant. Soviet technicians, technology, an education programme, and 300 million dollars. All of which the Chinese had to pay for…” (Pg. 127)
It recounts, “With Mao’s support, a tumultuous mass movement swept China in 1958. In the cities, attacks were launched against rigid Soviet hierarchical methods of organization in industry and education. But it was in the countryside, out of the spontaneous radicalism of local rural leaders and poor peasants, that the great innovation came. The communes were an audacious attempt to reverse the Soviet model, both economically and politically What the peasant produced through intensified collective efforts was to go not to the city, but into the hands of the peasants themselves!” (Pg. 134-135)
But in 1966, “China gave the world---and Russia---something new to talk about. In Peking a startling political movement began: The Cultural Revolution. Encouraged by Mao himself, millions of young Chinese thronged the streets, they came out to voice their discontent with, and criticism of, officials, of methods, of errors, deviations and abuses of power and privilege.” (Pg. 150-151) “Idealistic youngsters loudly denounced the elements of corruption… Universities n China were all closed for nearly four years. Everything was questioned. In the factories, workers joined with the Red Guards, those irascible young people, and questioned work methods and their leaders… The Cultural Revolution aimed to root out everything left of the old order. Followers of the Soviet line or of capitalism were in trouble.” (Pg. 154-155)
The book concludes, “A new group of leaders emerged at the end of the Cultural Revolution. Zhang Chuyngiao, Wang Hongwen, Yao Wenyuan and Mao’s last wife… Their influence few because Mao was ill and old and less active than he had been… On September 9th, 1976, Mao Tsetung died in Peking. He was … 834 years old.” (Pg. 160-163)
Although now seriously ‘out of date,’ this book is an engaging introduction to China and Mao at the time it was written.
This 1980 book begins, “The story of Mao Tse-Tung is the story of modern China. If Mao hadn’t existed there would be no People’s Republic of China today. Though Mao would have said that it was thanks to the Communist Party and the brave peasants that China was liberated, not thanks to him…” (Pg. 7)
The book recounts, “China was, even in the 20th century, a feudal-bureaucratic country. At the top of the power pyramid sat the Emperor, served by thousands of local officials who extorted grain tax from the starving peasants. Peasants were at the bottom of the pyramid, oppressed by both the landlord and bureaucrats. The ideology of this ruling class was Confucianism, whose voluminous ‘Classics’ were used to justify the workings of society. Landlords bought an education and official positions for their sons. Bureaucrats bought land as an economic bolster to their government positions.” (Pg. 15)
Later, it adds, “An intensely nationalist group of young patriots, the majority of the students, educated abroad, organized the Tong Menghui, or Revolutionary Alliance. Their leader was Dr. Sun Yatsen. Sun Yatsen had studied and lived outside China. His family was wealthy. Sun represented the ideas of Chinese living abroad, of overcoming British dominance and making China a European-style bourgeois republic.” (Pg. 38-39)
e
It explains, “In Changsha, 1918, Mao founded the New Citizens Society, a discussion group of energetic young activists… In Peking, Mao fell in love with Yang Kaihui, daughter of a professor of philosophy. They married in 1921 and had two sons. Contrary to Chinese custom, Mao and Yang married for love.” (Pg. 50, 52)
It reports, “when Mao was a student … his first published articles were about the unhappy position of women in traditional China… From early on, Mao emphasized how much worse off women were than men in feudal China because they were dominated by their husbands AND parents-in-law. This was in accordance with the Confucian ethical system. Mao’s concern for the position of women continued throughout his life. The first law passed in the People’s Republic, after liberation, was the Land Law which gave women equal rights to hold land. This was followed by the Marriage Law which protected girls against arranged marriages and provided for divorce.” (Pg. 54-56)
It states, “In 1925, the pro-Japanese government in Peking felt obliged to approach Sun Yatsen and propose a conference on the theme: ‘the peaceful unification of the country.’ Sun, in turn, proposed the democratic of a National Assembly to rule China without foreign intervention. But Sun died suddenly of cancer shortly after his arrival in Peking. The Kuomintang was left in the hands of Chiang Kaishek.” (Pg. 61)
It continues, “It wasn’t General Chiang Kaishek, but the fighting spirit of the peasants and workers which demolished the resistance of the warlords… In the rural areas millions of peasants were flocking to peasant associations and rising against the landlords. Chiang Kaishek’s army rode to victory on the crest of this mass upheaval.” (Pg. 62-63)
It reports, “The Chinese Communists … organize a workers’ insurrection against the military rulers n Shanghai… The workers are about to seize power, when … Chiang Kaishek had diverted his army towards Shanghai… [He] negotiated secretly with the bankers who promised him big money from the western powers if he cooperated… General Chiang Kaishek’s troops turned against the Shanghai workers. In a bloody massacre almost all members of the Communist Party were killed.” (Pg. 70-71)
Before long, “Chiang Kaishek wanted to get rid of the Reds [i.e., Mao]. Mao wanted to get rid of Chiang. And … Imperial Japan was about to start the formal invasion of China. Chiang was indifferent---too busy with Mao. Mao, instead, thought the main enemy was Japan, and he was even willing to unite with Chiang to combat Japan.” (Pg. 102-103)
It notes, “What did Mao say fuels the whole process of revolution? The Masses! Formerly they lived at the margin of existence, their livelihood prey to natural disasters, their very existence under the control of all-powerful landlords. Mao knew that if they were offered a way out, they would take it; and Mao was able to show them that this way out was through a whole range of cooperative methods…” (Pg. 114)
After the war, “Chiang’s troops were rearmed with American weapons and a massive American airlift moved them all over China to help him reestablish control… Unfortunately, by 1949, almost all of China (and most of the American arms) were in Mao’s hands.” (Pg. 121)
Ultimately, on October 1, 1949, “From the Celestial Peace entrance to the Imperial Palace of Peking, Mao Tsetung proclaimed the establishment of The People’s Republic of China.” (Pg. 123) “Stalin had backed Chiang Kaishek right to the end. But now he had to recognize political reality. He.. invited [Mao] to Moscow. Mao came back from this trip with aid from the Socialist giant. Soviet technicians, technology, an education programme, and 300 million dollars. All of which the Chinese had to pay for…” (Pg. 127)
It recounts, “With Mao’s support, a tumultuous mass movement swept China in 1958. In the cities, attacks were launched against rigid Soviet hierarchical methods of organization in industry and education. But it was in the countryside, out of the spontaneous radicalism of local rural leaders and poor peasants, that the great innovation came. The communes were an audacious attempt to reverse the Soviet model, both economically and politically What the peasant produced through intensified collective efforts was to go not to the city, but into the hands of the peasants themselves!” (Pg. 134-135)
But in 1966, “China gave the world---and Russia---something new to talk about. In Peking a startling political movement began: The Cultural Revolution. Encouraged by Mao himself, millions of young Chinese thronged the streets, they came out to voice their discontent with, and criticism of, officials, of methods, of errors, deviations and abuses of power and privilege.” (Pg. 150-151) “Idealistic youngsters loudly denounced the elements of corruption… Universities n China were all closed for nearly four years. Everything was questioned. In the factories, workers joined with the Red Guards, those irascible young people, and questioned work methods and their leaders… The Cultural Revolution aimed to root out everything left of the old order. Followers of the Soviet line or of capitalism were in trouble.” (Pg. 154-155)
The book concludes, “A new group of leaders emerged at the end of the Cultural Revolution. Zhang Chuyngiao, Wang Hongwen, Yao Wenyuan and Mao’s last wife… Their influence few because Mao was ill and old and less active than he had been… On September 9th, 1976, Mao Tsetung died in Peking. He was … 834 years old.” (Pg. 160-163)
Although now seriously ‘out of date,’ this book is an engaging introduction to China and Mao at the time it was written.
June 30, 2018
A good, if dated, history of Mao and China, but downplays the horrors of things like the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution, making it more of a hagiography.
April 22, 2013
This book was written/drawn not long after Mao Tse Tung died. It is a really good and simple overview of what happened to create the modern Chinese state. I would recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews