Mao’s book strikes a chord in remote school
Print Edition
In a remote part of China, the day starts at the Democracy Elementary and Middle School with a pre-dawn jog, some revolutionary songs and then an activity long-since forgotten at other schools: reciting quotations from Mao Zedong’s “Little Red Book.”
For Xia Zuhai, a farmer-turned-educator with thick-rimmed glasses and a toothy, broad smile, there are no teachings more important than those that Mao gave the world.
“Education isn’t just for learning practical skills, but it is more importantly for character building, to create good people,” said Xia, who founded the school in 1996.
“From the basic level, Mao Zedong Thought is for uprightness, kindness, and greatness ... Mao Zedong Thought is, in reality, about taking people and liberating them from material desires so they can be free and natural people. This was Chairman Mao’s greatest educational point,” Xia said.
Xia’s school has about 20 students. Many are poor and their parents placed them in Xia’s boarding school for lack of better options.
To be sure, students take classes in maths, English, Chinese and other core subjects at the school in the rural central province of Henan.
But Xia puts special emphasis on Mao Zedong Thought. The school is largely funded by the government.
Posters of Mao are pasted at the entrance and in classrooms. Students memorise Mao’s aphorisms, and Xia tries to drill home the message that to work hard and “Serve The People” is righteous. The school keeps ducks, chickens, goats and a vegetable garden.
Farm work is good for teaching Mao’s dedication to hard work, he says.
The “Little Red Book” is a pocket-sized collection of quotations from Mao that was first published for the military in the 1960s but became a must-have during the “cultural revolution” (1966-1976).
To most in China today, it is perhaps a curio from a bygone era seen mostly at tourist shops. At the Democracy School the books are dog-eared and well used.
“Eastern culture and Mao Zedong Thought both preach thrift,” Xia said. “Thrift is good for people ... Only Mao Zedong Thought can save the world.”
The 120th anniversary of Mao’s birth is on December 26.
Xia, for his part, has a simple vision of the most appropriate way to celebrate Mao’s birthday.
“The best way to remember him is to do real acts that serve the people,” he said.
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