In a conversation with a foreign visitor in September 1973, Mao Zedong, then about to turn eighty, made a revealing comment, comparing himself to China’s first emperor, Qin Shihuang. Qin Shihuang is typically seen in a negative light, as a ruthless despot, but Mao talked of him favorably, reserving his criticisms for Confucius instead. To him, Confucian moderation had little appeal—the concentration of power in the hands of a supreme leader was what mattered. Mao urged the party to study history, to critique Confucius and the Confucian tradition. This initiative, consistent with Mao’s
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