“On October 1, 1949, at Tienanmen Square, Mao Zedong proclaimed the creation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). … It is to mark the 65th anniversary of that proclamation in Tienanmen Square, and the 27 years of socialist China that followed it, that we are bringing out this special issue. Innumerable books have been written on that period by scholars from around the world. Many of these writings are outstanding, and worth returning to in order to better understand that experience. Our intention is not to duplicate those efforts. The aim of this special issue is to bring out the voices of China’s ordinary people that, once again, cannot be heard.”
Containing articles by Mobo Gao, Dongping Han, and Hao Qi.
Mobo Gao’s article is illuminating and important, but I was a bit taken aback by his assertion that Mao was the supreme and unchallengeable power within the CCP and the PRC. My impression is that Mao tended to intervene strategically, and sometimes indirectly, to influence the course of events precisely because he wasn’t a supreme leader and moreover didn’t want to be one. Additionally, my sense has been that the Party and the State were never identical or coextensive, and that the relationship between them was more complex and sometimes contradictory than Mobo Gao would allow.
Response from Mobo Gao:
I think that is a fair and good comment. I agree that the CCP and state were not one and the same entity. I also agree that Mao did not want to have overall control of everything and intervened only when he saw it absolutely necessary. However, I do hold the view that Mao had the absolute veto power on matters of importance, a position based on both the formal arrangement and Mao’s prestige and support.