Lydia DiLalla - Symposium Abstract

The Two Faces of Mao:
The Image of Chairman Mao in Contemporary Tourist Culture

During the summer of 2007, I studied abroad in the Beijing, China.  One of my first excursions into the city was to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.  As I walked through Tiananmen gate into the imperial palace, I passed under a giant portrait of Chairman Mao.  Two hours latter, I met the image of Mao again. On exiting the palace, I was surrounded by a gaggle of souvenir peddlers with suitcases of products.  “Mao watch?  Mao watch?” they asked, “would you like to buy a Mao watch?”  Looking into their suitcase, I saw the smiling face of Mao with his right hand waving in-time on the face of dozens of bright red wrist watches.  This was my first meeting with the image of Mao, but it would not be my last. With the chance to research any subject during my senior year, I decided to examine the dual role the image of Mao plays in contemporary Chinese tourist culture.  Specifically, my thesis compares the consumption of Mao’s image by two distinct tourist groups: the western tourist who acts as a sightseer and collects the Mao image as a souvenir; and the domestic Chinese tourist who acts as a pilgrim and for whom the Mao image continues in the tradition of a sacred relic as established during the Cultural Revolution.

As the leader of the Communist party, Mao Zedong founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949 and served as its first Chairman. Until his death in 1976, Mao played an important role in the running of the government and became the symbolic head of state.  During his tenure as Chairman, Mao oversaw the most radical change in Chinese society during the Cultural Revolution.  A consequence of this government program was the phenomenon of the Cult of Mao, whereby Mao became the emblem of the nation.  He was worshipped by the people.  Daily songs and dances were done is his honor and the image of Mao was raised to the height of an idol. 

After Mao’s death in 1976, the Cult of Mao died.  The image of Mao seemed to disappear from Chinese life during the late 1970s and 1980s when China began to enter onto the world stage.  In the late 1980s the so-called Mao Craze began.  Mao products became popular again, not just among the older population clinging to the memories of the Cultural Revolution, but among young people as well.  The Mao Craze, like the Cult of Mao, eventually died down, but the image of Mao returned in to Chinese culture less than ten years later in the tourist industry.

Mao is not new to the tourist scene.  Tiananmen Square is one of the most popular tourist sites in Beijing.  Just as the Square has great historical significance, it is also saturated with the image of Mao, so much so that Mao himself becomes crucial to the site. Mao is manifested in three different ways within the site, through his portrait, his words, and his body.  Mao’s portrait appears above Tiananmen; Mao’s words are on the People’s Heroes Monument in the middle of the Square, and Mao’s body is in his Mausoleum in the back of the Square.  These three manifestations repeat themselves in the souvenir products sold around the area. Most souvenirs, like the Mao watches and tee-shirts, feature Mao’s portrait.  Likewise, his book of quotes, The Little Red Book, can be found in every tourist shop   

My thesis considers two types of tourists who purchase Mao souvenirs, western tourists and domestic, Chinese tourists. I argue that these two groups engage the image of Mao in two different ways. The Chinese tourist is a secular pilgrim, so the souvenir objects serve as a relic from the sacred site of Tiananmen Square. For Chinese tourists who share the memory of the Cult of Mao and the Mao Craze, Mao’s image is reinvented as an emblem of their nation’s history. Western tourists are less connected with the historical significant of Tiananmen Square to the Peoples Republic of China. They are not pilgrims like their domestic counterpart, but fall into the category of sightseers.  For them, Mao objects are valuable as souvenirs that remind them of their trip.  In conclusion, my thesis argues that the image of Mao demonstrates how one image can have two different meanings because of the different experiences associated with acquiring the image.