And Mao Said...

I was shocked to observe how highly revered Mao Zedong still is in China. Hundreds of Chinese tourists pay homage to Mao everyday and when I stood in line for the Mausoleum, some people purchased yellow carnations at a nearby stand as an offering for the former chairman. Viewing Mao was an incredibly rushed process with officers scooting us along. Though I only saw him briefly, I am convinced that I saw the waxed version of Mao. According to my guidebook, after Mao died in 1974, his doctors made the rash decision to preserve his body. They pumped him so full of formaldehyde that his body swelled beyond recognition. So just as a backup, they created a wax version of the great Helsman. I noticed that his skin was so perfect looking and well preserved that it almost appeared fake. But I guess I will never know if I saw the real Mao.

For those who have a great love for Mao, they could purchase Mao memorabilia in the souvenir shop just outside of the viewing room. Among my personal favorites that I saw were a picture of Mao posed tranquilly by a lake (a picture which looks VERY photo shopped) and if you want to keep the former Helsman near and dear to your heart, you can purchase your very own gold locket with Mao’s face encrusted on the front. It’s surprising that he is still such a revered figure; a larger portrait of his hangs in Tiananmen Square. They seem to have forgotten that over 38 million people died under Mao’s leadership during his Great Leap Forward Movement that collectivized farms and forced people to generate mass amounts of agricultural and industrial output. In spite of all this and the thousands of others who died during the Cultural Revolution, Mao is still very beloved throughout China.