Quotations From Chairman Mao Tse-Tung [Vinyl Bound]

Mao Tse-Tung (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1990 | ISBN-10: 083512388X | ISBN-13: 978-0835123884

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Vinyl Bound: 311 pages
• Publisher: China Books & Periodicals (May 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 083512388X
• ISBN-13: 978-0835123884
• Product Dimensions: 3.9 x 0.6 x 5.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #70,927 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #75 in Books > Education & Reference > Quotations
  • #83 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Elections & Political Process > Leadership

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Have Resource for Teaching The Red Scarf Girl October 30, 2011

By L. Glaesemann

Format:Vinyl Bound|Amazon Verified Purchase

"Class, here is an actual copy of the little red book Chairman Mao required his citizens to read and memorize, especially students such as Ji-Li Jiang." That was what I said to my students after I introduced Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung. I was tentative about introducing a Communist relic that inspired mixed feelings among Chinese students and teachers, but I soon discovered that it was the right decision when my students who were reading Red Scarf Girl recognized that the "little red book" was tantamount to mind control.

One reason purchasing this book is worthwhile is that it provides a clearer context for understanding China's Cultural Revolution from 1965-1975. At the heart of this decade of insanity was Chairman Mao's red book; at the end of the Revolution, there were enough copies of the book for every man, woman, and child on Earth almost twice over. In other words, if a student lost his or her book, another one was readily available.

The enormity of the number of copies available left a lasting impression upon Chinese citizens. For example, one of the ESL teachers was a student during the Revolution; the moment she spotted my copy it instantly transported her back to that time where divergence led to imprisonment, labor camps, humiliation, or suicide. "In the morning, we were expected to read and memorize from Mao's book. We had no clue what he was trying to say, but because all of us were forced to read it, many viewed it as almost sacred." Since these were the words of their beloved leader, they must be accepted as absolute truth.

Another reason this book is an invaluable resource is that a teacher can use it to make deeper connections. Each day of class, I wrote another quotation from Chairman Mao's book that connected thematically to an event from Ji-Ling's Red Scarf Girl. "We should be modest and prudent, guard against arrogance and rashness, and serve the Chinese people heart and soul...." is a quotation I used when teaching the part where Ji-Li's father was incarcerated for belonging to the wrong family. Before we read the section, we paraphrased what the quotation into student-friendly terms. After we read what had happened to her father, we returned to the quotation but then included the following question: Based on what happened to Ji-Ling's father, did the Chinese Communist Party live up to this principle? Students quickly understood that Mao and his party officials had no intention of serving anyone but themselves. The little red book offered nothing practical for almost a billion people except the illusion of peace and happiness.

In order to understand a movement, one must study what its members read. In the case of the Cultural Revolution, it was Chairman Mao's quotations that were bound in a pocket-sized red book. In the past, when I taught Ji-Li's memoir, students could not grasp the events because it did not seem real to them. This is the major benefit of having a real copy of the little red book that inspired some while struck fear in others. Students leafed through the book so many times that its binding fell apart. What did they learn from the resource? At the end of the memoir, they learned but also felt what it must have been like to live during the Cultural Revolution: a period of time where deviating from "official truths" found in a red book could lead to an individual's demise.

28 of 34 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars The writing itself is relatively unimportant May 10, 2000

By "corey_aber"

Format:Vinyl Bound

While Mao no doubt had a profound impact on China, it was not for his originality of thought, but for the manner in which he promoted Marxism-Leninism. The only significant change he made in the philosophy was his realization that for communism to work in China, the Proletariat had to be interpreted as the peasantry. Mao's "Little Red Book" was a necessity in the creation of the mystique of Mao, and the cult of Maoism. This was not so much because of the ideas presented, but because the manner in which the were presented to the public, not only in the book itself, but through various other means of propaganda. Therefore the book as an item could be valuable to own for anyone interested in the study of Mao, but only as a tool in his mystique. Granted the book does provide some insight into Maoism, its most profound impact was based on its existence, and Mao would best be studied through his actions rather than through his writings.

42 of 53 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A contradictory guidebook to Chinese communism October 31, 2003

By Jerald R Lovell

Format:Vinyl Bound

Mao-Zedong was the leader of China's Communist Revolution. He was a man of many faces; soldier, military strategist, politician, revolutionary, poet, fugitive, and leader. This book is a collection of quotes gleaned from his speeches, writings, and interviews over several decades.

Mao's utterances must be read two ways. The first is as exhortations of the ideal. The second is as justification for what was actually done. Mao seems to encourage dissent and analysis as the basis for revoutionary improvement on the one hand, but the record reveals that his rule was as an iron dictator. Equally, he exhorts the faithful to achieve stability, but history shows his ill-fated Red Guard movement nearly tore China apart.

I could go on at some length, but I leave the reader to make his or her own choices from the vast panoply of available material. I do not believe this is a work that can or should be read without some prior knowledge of Twentieth Century Chinese history. The book is important for understanding the Chinese world view as we enter dubiously into the 21st Century. For that reason, I recommend it.