The Chinese people commemorated the 130th birthday of Chairman Mao Zedong, the founder of New China, which fell on December 26, in numerous ways, from solemn gatherings at the highest level to countless informal and spontaneous gatherings throughout the country.
On the morning of December 26, Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee presided over a symposium in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.
Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Chinese President, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered an important speech. Xi emphasised that:
- Mao was a great Marxist, and a great proletarian revolutionary, strategist, and theorist.
- He was a great trailblazer in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context, and laid the groundwork of China’s socialist modernisation.
- He was a great patriot and national hero in modern Chinese history and the core of the Party’s first generation of central leadership.
- He was a great man who led the Chinese people to change their destiny and the nation as a whole, and
- A great internationalist who made significant contributions to the liberation of oppressed nations and the cause of human progress worldwide.
Mao Zedong Thought, the Chinese leader added, is the precious spiritual asset of our Party and will continue to guide what we do for a long time to come. The best way to commemorate Mao is to continuously advance the cause he initiated.
Xi pointed out that Mao devoted his life to achieving national prosperity, rejuvenating the Chinese nation, and promoting people’s well-being. He led the people in starting the historical process of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context, forging the great, glorious, and correct Communist Party of China, founding the New China with the people enjoying the status as masters of the country, creating an advanced socialist system, and building a new model of people’s army that is invincible. He made indelible historical contributions to the Chinese nation and the Chinese people and made shining contributions that will go down in history.
Xi further emphasised that Comrade Mao Zedong dedicated his entire life to the Party and the people, leaving behind a lofty and inspirational spirit for future generations. Comrade Mao, as a great revolutionary leader, demonstrated far-sighted political vision, firm revolutionary conviction, extraordinary courage to blaze a new trail, perfect art of waging struggle, outstanding leadership, deep concern for the people, an open and broad-minded demeanour, and an exemplary work ethic of hard endeavour. As a result, he earned the love and respect of the entire Party and people of all ethnic groups. Comrade Mao’s noble spirit will forever be a motivating force inspiring us to forge ahead.
On the new journey, he continued, we must never forget our original aspiration and founding mission, be confident in our history, and take historical initiative to continuously advance the great cause of Chinese modernisation.
Chinese modernisation, Xi noted, is the cause of the Chinese people, and we must closely rely on the people, pool the inexhaustible wisdom and strength inherent in the people, and fully motivate the historical initiative of the people. It is crucial to adhere to the fundamental viewpoint of historical materialism that the people are the fundamental driving force in creating history, uphold the people’s principal position, take it as the fundamental purpose of our work to defend, realise and develop the fundamental interests of the vast majority of the people, so as to ensure that all the Chinese people share the achievements of modernisation in a more equitable manner. Efforts should be made to establish systems that ensure the people’s status as masters of the country, improve the mechanisms that uphold social fairness and justice, focus on ensuring and improving people’s well-being, follow the mass line in the new era, always maintain a close connection with the people, accept criticism and supervision from the people, always breathe the same air as the people, share the same future, and stay truly connected to them, in order to provide the most reliable, profound, and sustainable source of strength for advancing Chinese modernisation.
Xi emphasised that reform and opening up is a major reason why China is able to catch up with the times, and it is the key move that determines whether Chinese modernisation will succeed and went on to stress the need to continuously liberate and develop the social productive forces and unleash and enhance social vitality. It is imperative to adapt to the new trends of the times, meet the new requirements of development, and fulfil the new expectations of the people, he said.
Xi pointed out that Chinese modernisation is the socialist modernisation led by the CPC. Only by always staying alert and determined to tackle the unique challenges that a large party like ours faces, and by strengthening the Party more vigorously, can we ensure that Chinese modernisation advances through waves and storms, and steadily moves forward.
It is important to continue to take coordinated steps to see that officials do not have the audacity, opportunity, or desire to become corrupt, so that the Party can remain true to its original aspiration and mission, and at the forefront of the times, and always stay vibrant and vigorous. By doing so, we can ensure that the Party will never change its nature, its conviction, or its character.
Cai Qi, chairing the meeting, noted how affectionately General Secretary Xi, in his important speech, had looked back upon the great practices of Comrade Mao Zedong in leading China’s revolution and construction, and how he has recognised the monumental achievements Comrade Mao Zedong made for the Chinese nation and Chinese people. He went on to note that Xi had proposed explicit requirements for commemorating Comrade Mao Zedong with concrete actions and with efforts to push ahead with the magnificent cause of Chinese modernisation.
Before the symposium, Xi Jinping and other leaders visited the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall where, in accordance with the Chinese custom denoting the highest respect, they bowed three times to the seated statue of Comrade Mao Zedong, and then proceeded to pay respects to his remains.
A further symposium marking the 130th anniversary of the birth of Mao was held in Beijing from December 26-28. At the opening ceremony, Cai Qi stressed the importance of honouring the monumental achievements made by Comrade Mao Zedong, passing on his thought and lofty spirit, advocating the great founding spirit of the Party, and making greater progress in theoretical studies. Cai called on social scientists and theoretical researchers to produce more high-quality research findings in the study of Mao Zedong Thought.
Probably the largest gathering held around the country was that in Mao’s birthplace, Shaoshan, where more than 110,000 people from around the country gathered, with spontaneous mass celebrations and commemorative activities beginning on the afternoon of December 25.
The Chinese newspaper Global Times quoted a middle aged woman from Yunnan province in south-west China as saying that she was surprised and excited to join tens of thousands of people singing, dancing, reciting poems, and waving flags on Mao Zedong Square at midnight.
Another impressive point for her was the large number of young people present. “I used to think that only middle-aged people and the older generation felt strongly about Chairman Mao. It wasn’t until I arrived here that I realised there are so many young people who respect and remember the stories about Chairman Mao,” she said. “Our younger generation is full of vitality and hope.”
The paper further reported a 21-year-old college student as having animated discussions with the older generation on the square. He defined his feelings for Mao Zedong as “sublime faith.”
“As young people of the new generation, we have never forgotten Chairman Mao’s contributions to the Chinese people,” he told the Global Times. “It is our responsibility as young people to inherit the Chairman’s revolutionary spirit and become the backbone of China.”
He added that some Western media and politicians have interpreted young people’s worshipping Mao Zedong as representing a narrow nationalism, but he rejected this saying:
“Our feelings for Chairman Mao are not narrow worship, but a hope to inherit his idea that ‘the world belongs to the people.’ The ultimate ideal is world harmony. How could this be a form of narrow nationalism?”
On the morning of December 26, visitors from across China, gathered in Shaoshan, were served a free breakfast of birthday noodles, recalling that the Chairman had never celebrated his birthday in his lifetime, simply eating a bowl of noodles. They then gathered again at Mao Zedong Square, where a flower laying ceremony was held, and everyone present bowed to Mao Zedong’s statue, followed by the many thousands of people singing together the revolutionary song “The East is Red,” written in praise of Mao Zedong.
The following articles were originally published by the Xinhua News Agency and Global Times.
Symposium held to commemorate 130th anniversary of Comrade Mao Zedong’s birth, Xi delivers important speech
BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) — On the morning of Dec. 26, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held a symposium at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to commemorate the 130th anniversary of Comrade Mao Zedong’s birth. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Chinese president, and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered an important speech. He emphasized that Mao was a great Marxist, and a great proletarian revolutionary, strategist, and theorist. He was a great trailblazer in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context, and laid the groundwork of China’s socialist modernization. He was a great patriot and national hero in modern Chinese history, and the core of the Party’s first generation of central leadership. He was a great man who led the Chinese people to change their destiny and the nation as a whole, and a great internationalist who made significant contributions to the liberation of oppressed nations and the cause of human progress worldwide. Mao Zedong Thought is the precious spiritual asset of our Party and will continue to guide what we do for a long time to come. The best way to commemorate Mao is to continuously advance the cause he initiated.
Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Ding Xuexiang, and Li Xi, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, attended the event. Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the symposium.
In his speech, Xi pointed out that Mao devoted his life to achieving national prosperity, rejuvenating the Chinese nation, and promoting people’s well-being. He led the people in starting the historical process of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context, forging the great, glorious, and correct Communist Party of China, founding the New China with the people enjoying the status as masters of the country, creating an advanced socialist system, and building a new model of people’s army that is invincible. He made indelible historical contributions to the Chinese nation and the Chinese people, and made shining contributions that will go down in history.
Xi emphasized that Comrade Mao Zedong dedicated his entire life to the Party and the people, leaving behind a lofty and inspirational spirit for future generations. Comrade Mao, as a great revolutionary leader, demonstrated far-sighted political vision, firm revolutionary conviction, extraordinary courage to blaze a new trail, perfect art of waging struggle, outstanding leadership, deep concern for the people, an open and broad-minded demeanor, and an exemplary work ethic of hard endeavor. As a result, he earned the love and respect of the entire Party and people of all ethnic groups. Comrade Mao’s noble spirit will forever be a motivating force inspiring us to forge ahead.
Xi stated that advancing the building of China into a strong country and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a path to Chinese modernization is the central task for the entire Party and people of all ethnic groups on the new journey in the new era. This is an unrealized cause of the older generation of revolutionaries such as Mao Zedong, and is the solemn historical responsibility of contemporary Chinese communists. On the new journey, we must never forget our original aspiration and founding mission, be confident in our history, and take historical initiative to continuously advance the great cause of Chinese modernization.
Xi emphasized that Chinese modernization is the cause of the Chinese people, and we must closely rely on the people, pool the inexhaustible wisdom and strength inherent in the people, and fully motivate the historical initiative of the people. It is crucial to adhere to the fundamental viewpoint of historical materialism that the people are the fundamental driving force in creating history, uphold the people’s principal position, take it as the fundamental purpose of our work to defend, realize and develop the fundamental interests of the vast majority of the people, so as to ensure that all the Chinese people share the achievements of modernization in a more equitable manner. Efforts should be made to establish systems that ensure the people’s status as masters of the country, improve the mechanisms that uphold social fairness and justice, focus on ensuring and improving people’s well-being, follow the mass line in the new era, always maintain a close connection with the people, accept criticism and supervision from the people, always breathe the same air as the people, share the same future, and stay truly connected to them, in order to provide the most reliable, profound, and sustainable source of strength for advancing Chinese modernization.
Xi pointed out that unwaveringly adhering to and adapting Marxism to the needs of the times, vigorously advancing theoretical innovation on the basis of practical experience, and consciously using the Marxist theory with Chinese characteristics to guide new practices, are the successful approach for the CPC to exhibit greater historical initiative, keep pace with the times, and constantly break new ground for the development of its undertakings. There is no end to practice or theoretical innovation. It is a never-ending process to understand the truth, so we should constantly open up a new frontier in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of our times. Chinese modernization has opened up broad prospects for the CPC’s theoretical innovation and put forward new, more arduous and demanding tasks. We must adhere to integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and fine traditional culture, thoroughly explore the laws for advancing Chinese modernization, constantly answer new questions presented by practice, and guide practical innovation by using theoretical innovation.
Xi emphasized that reform and opening up is a major reason why China is able to catch up with the times, and it is the key move that determines whether Chinese modernization will succeed. To promote Chinese modernization, we must further comprehensively deepen reform and opening up, continuously liberate and develop social productive forces, and unleash and enhance social vitality. It is imperative to adapt to the new trends of the times, meet the new requirements of development, and fulfill the new expectations of the people. With strong determination to carry out reform to the end, we must take concrete actions, dare to confront difficulties head-on, make precise and coordinated efforts, and never lose steam in our endeavors. In such spirit, we will resolutely remove all institutional obstacles that impede the smooth progress of Chinese modernization, inject fresh impetus into all aspects of Chinese modernization, and constantly expand the space for the development of Chinese modernization.
Xi pointed out that Chinese modernization is the socialist modernization led by the CPC. Only by always staying alert and determined to tackle the unique challenges that a large party like ours faces, and by strengthening the Party more vigorously, can we ensure that Chinese modernization advances through waves and storms, and steadily moves forward. We must implement the general requirements for Party building in the new era, use Party political building to guide all aspects of work in Party building, improve the system to exercise full and rigorous Party self-governance, and comprehensively promote the Party’s self-purification, self-improvement, and self-renewal. It is important to continue to take coordinated steps to see that officials do not have the audacity, opportunity, or desire to become corrupt, so that the Party can remain true to its original aspiration and mission, and at the forefront of the times, and always stay vibrant and vigorous. By doing so, we can ensure that the Party will never change its nature, its conviction, or its character.
Xi stressed that Chinese modernization requires the efforts of all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation in solidarity. It is essential to comprehensively and accurately implement, with unwavering determination, the policy of “one country, two systems” as well as the policies of Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong and Macao people administering Macao with a high degree of autonomy. It is important to stick to law-based governance in Hong Kong and Macao, uphold and improve the systems for implementing the “one country, two systems” policy and ensure that the central government exercises overall jurisdiction over the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions. Xi also stressed the need to see that Hong Kong and Macao are administered by patriots, and ensure both the central government’s overall jurisdiction and a high degree of autonomy in the special administrative regions. It is imperative to support Hong Kong and Macao in growing their economies, improving their people’s lives and resolving deep-seated issues and problems in their economic and social development, so that they will better integrate into the country’s overall development. Realizing China’s complete reunification conforms to the trend of the times and the will of the Chinese people, and the overall interests of the Chinese nation. China must and will surely be reunified. It is essential to implement the Party’s overall policy for resolving the Taiwan question in the new era, adhere to the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, advance integrated development in all fields across the Taiwan Strait, promote peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, and prevent anyone from separating Taiwan from China in any form.
Xi stressed that Chinese modernization is the modernization of peaceful development, which not only promotes the well-being of the Chinese people but also advances other countries’ modernization. We will stand firmly on the right side of history and on the side of human progress, remain dedicated to peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit, hold dear humanity’s shared values, promote the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, and build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world of lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity, Xi said. We will also uphold the basic norms governing international relations, adhere to the right course of economic globalization, pursue a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up, and reform global governance to make it more just and equitable, Xi said. He also said that China’s development strengthens the world’s forces for peace, and that China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansionism no matter what stage of development it reaches.
Cai Qi, while chairing the meeting, noted how affectionately General Secretary Xi, in his important speech, has looked back upon the great practices of Comrade Mao Zedong in leading China’s revolution and construction, and how he has recognized the monumental achievements Comrade Mao Zedong made for the Chinese nation and Chinese people. General Secretary Xi noted in his speech that Comrade Mao Zedong’s lofty spirit should serve as a driving force for our continued progress ahead. Xi proposed in his speech explicit requirements for commemorating Comrade Mao Zedong with concrete actions and with efforts to push ahead with the magnificent cause of Chinese modernization, Cai said. General Secretary Xi’s important speech, with its broad and profound perspective, is of political, ideological, and guiding importance, and is of great significance in guiding our Party to continuously advance the cause pioneered by Comrade Mao Zedong and other older-generation revolutionaries, follow the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and break new ground for Chinese modernization. We must conscientiously study, and thoroughly implement the speech, so as to strive in unity for building China into a strong country and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a path to Chinese modernization.
Qu Qingshan, director of the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee, Miao Hua, member of the Central Military Commission and director of the commission’s Political Work Department, and Shen Xiaoming, secretary of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee, also spoke at the symposium.
Members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, members of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, and leading officials of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the State Council, the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and the Central Military Commission attended the symposium.
Also present were officials from relevant central Party and government departments, the military and people’s organizations, as well as leading officials from the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee, representatives from other political parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and personages without party affiliation. Mao Zedong’s relatives, his former staff, representatives from his hometown, and those attending the “National Seminar to Commemorate the 130th Anniversary of the Birth of Comrade Mao Zedong” were also present.
Before the symposium, Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi, Han Zheng, and other leaders visited the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall. In the north hall of the memorial hall, placed in front of the seated statue of Comrade Mao Zedong were flower baskets from the CPC Central Committee, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the State Council, the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the Central Military Commission, other political parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and personages without party affiliation. Xi Jinping and others bowed three times to the seated statue of Comrade Mao Zedong, and then proceeded to pay respects to the remains of Comrade Mao Zedong.
Senior CPC official calls for progress in researching Mao Zedong Thought
BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) — Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Cai Qi has stressed honoring the monumental achievements made by Comrade Mao Zedong, passing on his thought and lofty spirit, advocating the great founding spirit of the Party, and making greater progress in theoretical studies.
The key to have a more profound understanding of Mao Zedong Thought is to grasp the highest political principle of upholding the centralized, unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee, said Cai, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, at the opening ceremony of a symposium marking the 130th anniversary of the birth of Mao. The symposium is held in Beijing from Tuesday to Thursday.
Cai called for the efforts to open a new frontier in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, follow the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, grasp the Marxist worldview and methodology, stay alert and determined to tackle the unique challenges that a large Party like the CPC faces, and have a profound understanding of the historical trend of human development.
Cai called on social scientists and theoretical researchers to produce more high-quality research findings in the study of Mao Zedong Thought.
Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the meeting. More than 150 experts from across the country exchanged their views at the symposium.
Commemoration of Mao’s 130th birth anniversary draws more people, many younger generation
Dec. 26 (Global Times) — Stepping off the train arriving at Shaoshan, central China’s Hunan Province, a bursting passion among the huge crowd was immediately felt. Shaoshan South Railway Station, which is usually not a busy station, was crowded by visitors from all over the country on Monday, a day before the 130th anniversary of the birth of Mao Zedong. Alongside the roads, many stores and organizations put out slogans to celebrate the day.
Spontaneous celebrations and commemorative activities organized by the masses began on Monday afternoon. Tens of thousands of people from all over the country flocked to Mao Zedong’s birthplace to gather on this special day. A reporter from the Global Times saw visitors of all ages on Mao Zedong Square in Shaoshan, who shared their travel experiences, on-site feelings, and views on the inheritance of Mao Zedong’s spirit in the present. They all mentioned, without exception, that they were surprised by the number of young people present at the scene.
For many tourists who arrived in Shaoshan on Monday and Tuesday, commemorating the 130th anniversary of Mao Zedong’s birth in his birthplace was a long-awaited gathering, especially as the past three years’ commemorative events were affected by COVID-19 restrictions. Many visitors told the Global Times that they felt this year’s commemorative activities were not to be missed.
A 40-year-old female visitor from Yunnan Province told the Global Times that she set off from a village in the Southwest China’s Province two days in advance to travel to Shaoshan. She took several buses and the entire journey took over 10 hours.
“It’s my first time participating in the commemorative activities for Chairman Mao’s birth,” said the tourist surnamed Li. “If I hadn’t come, I would have definitely regretted it.”
Li said she was surprised and excited to join tens of thousands of people singing, dancing, reciting poems, and waving flags on Mao Zedong Square at midnight.
Another impressive point for her was the large number of young people present. “I used to think that only middle-aged people and the older generation felt strongly about Chairman Mao. It wasn’t until I arrived here that I realized there are so many young people who respect and remember the stories about Chairman Mao,” Li told the Global Times. “Our younger generation is full of vitality and hope.”
This feeling was also shared by a man surnamed Wang from Shenzhen. The 65-year-old Wang told the Global Times that he comes to Shaoshan from Shenzhen, South China’s Guangdong Province, every year to commemorate the anniversary of Chairman Mao’s birth, but he has never seen so many young people like this year.
“This time, there are really a lot of young people,” Wang said. “I see the expectations of the new era in these young people and students.”
Speaking of respect and commemoration of Mao Zedong by young people, Wang pointed out that many of Mao’s ideas are still worth inheriting today. “Many of Mao’s ideas, even when viewed decades after they were proposed, represent the correct direction,” he told the Global Times.
As a young visitor, a 21-year-old college student surnamed Li had heated discussions with the older generation on the square. He defined his feelings for Mao Zedong as “sublime faith.”
“As young people of the new generation, we have never forgotten Chairman Mao’s contributions to the Chinese people,” Li told the Global Times. “It is our responsibility as young people to inherit the Chairman’s revolutionary spirit and become the backbone of China.”
Some Western media and politicians have interpreted that young people’s worshipping Mao Zedong represents a narrow nationalism. Li believes this is not true at all.
“Our feelings for Chairman Mao are not narrow worship, but a hope to inherit his ideas: ‘the world belongs to the public,’ he said. “The ultimate ideal is world harmony. How could this be a form of narrow nationalism?”
Another visitor from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region echoed Li’s view. The 32-year-old Tsai set off from Hong Kong on Monday night. As the hotels were full, he had to spend the night on the square with his luggage. However, as he was talking with the Global Times on Tuesday morning, he was full of enthusiasm and very excited.
“Some people in the West, especially politicians, talk about inclusiveness and love, and advocate the belief in religion, but what they actually do is the complete opposite,” Tsai said. “They allow war and slaughter in the name of justice, and interfere in the affairs of other countries. The truth is self-evident.”
The few hours before and after midnight on Monday are the liveliest hours of the year in the small town, with tens of thousands of people commemorating on the square. Many people told the Global Times that they had participated in the celebrations of the 125th anniversary or the 100th anniversary of Mao’s birth, but none were as enthusiastic as this one.
Mao Yuanju, a tourism practitioner who was born and raised in Shaoshan, told the Global Times that he has rarely, if ever, seen so many visitors in the small town.
“Usually many people come and visit on the anniversary of Chairman Mao’s birth every year in December, but there seems to be more visitors than usual this year,” Mao Yuanju said, referring to the removal of pandemic restrictions which he believes to be the reason of the surge of visitors.
At one of the biggest hotels in Shaoshan, the Jianguo Hotel, which has more than 800 rooms, was fully booked Monday night. The situation was the same for most of the hotels, hostels and homestays in the city.
“The room prices skyrocketed to twice or three times the usual rate, but the hotels were still fully booked months before,” said Mao Yuanju.
The Global Times learned from the local authorities that no extra or larger official celebration or commemorative event was arranged in the city this year compared to previous years, but people from all over the country spontaneously flooded to Shaoshan to commemorate the birth of the late leader.
“It is out of pure love and respect that the people hold for the chairman,” said a local official.
From 6 am Monday to 5 pm Tuesday, Shaoshan has welcomed 111,570 visitors, the Global Times learned from local tourism authorities, recording an increase of 712.93 percent from 2022 and 13.92 percent from 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of the traditional annual celebrative activities in Shaoshan, nearly 4,000 runners gathered in the city on Monday morning for a health run. Since 1983, Shaoshan has been holding commemorative long-distance running races around December 26th every year. This year marks the 40th consecutive race, making it a renowned national-level mass road race event.
On Tuesday morning at 6 am, before sunrise, thousands of people had already gathered at the Shaoshan Village Committee Square to queue for free birthday noodles. A volunteer on site told the Global Times that hundreds of volunteers had arrived at the square in the early hours to prepare the noodles. “This is a long-standing tradition because Chairman Mao never celebrated his birthday when he was alive. He usually just ate a bowl of birthday noodles,” she said. “After his passing, every year on this day, we prepare free birthday noodles for people from all over the country who come to commemorate him, to celebrate and remember him.”
“We also hope to learn and carry forward Chairman Mao’s spirit of frugality and spend more time doing practical things for the people,” said Mao Chunshan, the Party Secretary of Shaoshan Village. “His spirit always inspires us.”
After finishing the birthday noodles, the visitors from all over the country once again gathered at Mao Zedong Square. Around 8 am, a flower laying ceremony was held, and everyone present bowed to Mao Zedong’s statue. Afterwards, the thousands of people on the square sang the song “The East is Red,” a song about Mao, together.
In fact, the bustling voices on the square have not diminished since Monday afternoon. People just kept waving flags, singing songs and discussing about Mao. Many people did not even book accommodation due to their rushed itinerary and the popularity of tourism in Shaoshan. They carried large backpacks or dragged suitcases to take photos on the square. At Shaoshan Railway Station on Tuesday afternoon, many tourists who were leaving Shaoshan to return home made plans to come back to Shaoshan at the same time next year.
