Mao was fond of saying that the Chinese people were “first of all, poor, and secondly blank,” but getting the Chinese people to that state involved quite a bit of work on Mao’s part. Unlike earlier intellectuals whose rebellious nerves wavered later in life, Mao’s drive to destroy and dismantle only increased after the Communist… Read more »
Tiananmen had been the site of Anti-Japanese demonstrations in 1895 and 1919 (the May Fourth Movement), inspirational moments for Mao and other Communist leaders. Fittingly, Mao chose Tiananmen to announce his new People’s Republic. One of Mao’s early acts as China’s ruler was launching a grand redevelopment of Tiananmen Square. Already very significant in the… Read more »
On September 21, 1949, Mao triumphantly proclaimed to assembled Communist Legislators that the Chinese people had “stood up.” On October 1, 1949, from Tiananmen Square, Mao announced the founding of the People’s Republic of China.