Revolution Isn’t a Party, but It Draws Tourists

[TheCultofAbeLincoln]

“Commercialization is not bad as long as we don’t vulgarize the traditions and as long as we keep the spirit without violating it,” said Tan Huwa, a historian at Yan’an University. “It’s like the advertising slogan for Yan’an Cigarettes: ‘There is Yan’an, but there is also the spirit.’”

The Yan’an area, with its distinctive cave homes and yellow loess hills, was used as the main revolutionary base until 1948, enduring bombing by the Japanese during World War II and assaults by Kuomintang troops. It was here that the top Communist leaders — Mao Zedong (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/mao_zedong/index.html?inline=nyt-per), Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, Liu Shaoqi and others — forged the ragtag Red Army into a populist guerrilla force and hammered home socialist ideology.

“I’m here to be educated,” said Ma Tao, 32, a pudgy civil servant who was struggling into a Red Army costume at the entrance to Yangjialing, a narrow valley in Yan’an where the Communist leaders had resided in caves for several years. A woman renting out the costumes handed Mr. Ma a leather holster.

“I feel proud wearing this uniform,” he said as a friend — or rather, a comrade — snapped photos of him.

Mr. Ma and his tour group, all sporting red Mao pins on their lapels, were among thousands of tourists, including real soldiers from the city of Xi’an, wandering through the revolutionary sites that day. The Yan’an tourism bureau says on its Web site that visitors to the city surpassed 10 million last year, up 37 percent from the previous year........

...Sidney Rittenberg Sr., a business consultant who was the first American to join the Chinese Communist Party and lived here in the 1940s.
Mr. Rittenberg took his wife to Yan’an last year. He said he was stunned by the changes.

“They’ve virtually destroyed this museum to Chinese revolutionary history,” he said. “I think it’s a real travesty.”

“The local tour guides will not allow anyone to criticize Mao,” he added. “It’s the only place in China I know of like that. They know absolutely nothing of the history.”

In the Chairman Mao Exhibition Hall, no mention is made of the horrors of the great famine of the 1950s or the Cultural Revolution, nor does there even appear the standard party-endorsed assessment that Mao was 70 percent right and 30 percent wrong. Displays or photographs showing Mao’s compatriots — for example, Liu Zhidan, the young revolutionary who set up a base in Yan’an before Mao arrived — give no indication that those people were later purged by Mao.


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/31/world/asia/31china.html?pagewanted=2&ref=world

I thought it was an interesting article.

[Robert]

I groaned at first. But trying to be objective, I suppose that if the Catholic Church were to create a museum dedicated to the life of St. Augustine or the priesthood in the USA, there wouldn't be any paintings or photos depicting their most serious shortcomings and failures either.

Also I wonder if the Chinese curator isn't saying to himself: "there is zero down side to my portraying Mao in the most positive light possible. For now at least."

[¿Que?]

Well, it appears china has made it to the capitalism stage. Let's see if they can go all the way:lol:

[Bud Struggle]

It's an excellent point. THAT Communism is dead. Check out the Museum of Communism.

http://www.muzeumkomunismu.cz/

I don't think the IDEA of communism is dead--but certainly the 20th Century brand has bit the dust. Time to move on and think of something a bit more clever than the Stazi and the Cultural Revolution. :)

[Crimson Commissar]

It's an excellent point. THAT Communism is dead. Check out the Museum of Communism.

http://www.muzeumkomunismu.cz/

I don't think the IDEA of communism is dead--but certainly the 20th Century brand has bit the dust. Time to move on and think of something a bit more clever than the Stazi and the Cultural Revolution. :)
If we betray the great achievements of the 20th century revolutionaries then we will betray our entire movement. Yes, there were many failures. But to say that 20th century communism was a complete failure is a lie. We need to remember the accomplishments made in the 20th century, but also learn from the mistakes. Any communist who believes that bullshit cold war propaganda that communism was an authoritarian ideology really needs to question whether they're actually a communist at all.

[Lt. Ferret]

:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

[Bud Struggle]

If we betray the great achievements of the 20th century revolutionaries then we will betray our entire movement. Yes, there were many failures. But to say that 20th century communism was a complete failure is a lie. We need to remember the accomplishments made in the 20th century, but also learn from the mistakes. Any communist who believes that bullshit cold war propaganda that communism was an authoritarian ideology really needs to question whether they're actually a communist at all.

It's impossible for me to imagine a Bourgeoisie saying something similar about the Capitalist side. Comarde, you are turning Communism into a religion complete with saints, devils and excommunication for sinners.

[RGacky3]

It's impossible for me to imagine a Bourgeoisie saying something similar about the Capitalist side.

Really? Ever seen Fox?

[ComradeMan]

If we betray the great achievements of the 20th century revolutionaries then we will betray our entire movement. Yes, there were many failures. But to say that 20th century communism was a complete failure is a lie. We need to remember the accomplishments made in the 20th century, but also learn from the mistakes. Any communist who believes that bullshit cold war propaganda that communism was an authoritarian ideology really needs to question whether they're actually a communist at all.

This is exactly the kind of thing that does not help the left whatsoever. What great achievements? Miserable failures for the most part and the triumph of capitalism and globalisation.

Any communist who lives in the 21st century and cannot recognise the dreadful mess of the 20th century needs to question themselves.

[Bud Struggle]

Really? Ever seen Fox?

You seem to get all the Leftist news that the rest of society can't find--but I guess that RGacky exceptionalism. :D

[RGacky3]

What? your response to "really ever seen fox (news in case you did'nt get it), is that?

Whats your argument?

[Crimson Commissar]

This is exactly the kind of thing that does not help the left whatsoever. What great achievements? Miserable failures for the most part and the triumph of capitalism and globalisation.

Any communist who lives in the 21st century and cannot recognise the dreadful mess of the 20th century needs to question themselves.
So the Russian revolution was a failure? The Soviet Union was a failure? The socialist states of Eastern Europe were all miserable failures? And let me guess, throughout all this the USA was the "shining beacon of democracy and hope to all the oppressed peoples of the east". :rolleyes:

[Bud Struggle]

What? your response to "really ever seen fox (news in case you did'nt get it), is that?

Whats your argument? I thought you were joking.


If we betray the great achievements of the 20th century Capitalists then we will betray our entire movement. Yes, there were many failures. But to say that 20th century Capitalism was a complete failure is a lie. We need to remember the accomplishments made in the 20th century, but also learn from the mistakes. Any Capitalsit who believes that bullshit cold war propaganda that communism was an authoritarian ideology really needs to question whether they're actually a Capitalsit at all.

You have actually heard something like this on Fox? It's way to cornball even for them. Yea, they can talk about the American way of life but they don't get into protraying Capitalsim as a religion--Capitalists never do. Bourgeoise never do.

If you want to find that--you'll have to look to the redneck Proletarians with their Jesus, their pickup trucks and their guns.

[ComradeMan]

So the Russian revolution was a failure? The Soviet Union was a failure? The socialist states of Eastern Europe were all miserable failures? And let me guess, throughout all this the USA was the "shining beacon of democracy and hope to all the oppressed peoples of the east". :rolleyes:

Russian Revolution = failure- did not abolish private property nor did it give power to the people. Bourgeois palace coup that replaced the old tsardom with the Red Tsardom of Lenin and Stalin etc.

The Socialist States of Eastern Europe = failure- puppet states of Moscow regime, Ceaucescu was just great, Tito was wonderful and Enver Hoxha was just brilliant.

Neither the USSR nor the Eastern European states succeeded.

Now I am not one of these people who say it was all evil, all gulags and secret police but there is no point to try holding up these political experiments as success stories.

The silly strawman of saying that because someone does not consider the USSR and Eastern Europe etc as success stories means they automatically play for Team America and capitalism is exactly the sort of thing that gets the left nowhere.

Silly, myopic binary analyses.

[Havet]

best thread title ever

[trivas7]

Well, it appears china has made it to the capitalism stage. Let's see if they can go all the way:lol:
Would that be imperialism (http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1916/imp-hsc/)?

[¿Que?]

Would that be imperialism (http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1916/imp-hsc/)?
To this day, I have managed to only read one essay by Lenin. I don't think tonight's the night, though...

[synthesis]

Sidney Rittenberg Sr., a business consultant who was the first American to join the Chinese Communist Party

Perhaps Bud Struggle's long-lost brother?

[Kotze]

Perhaps Bud Struggle's long-lost brother?That's right! There is even film footage of him, they look like twins.LaeLSBYuTiI0:17—0:45

[Robert]

Sidney Rittenberg Sr., a business consultant who was the first American to join the Chinese Communist Party

Cat was way ahead of his time, wasn't he? :thumbup1:

[hatzel]

Because I'm really cool, I'm actually the member of a Norwegian croquet team. And because this croquet team is really cool, they made and sold this t-shirt, and it was red with a yellow croquet hammer and croquet...whatever you call that hoop thing you hit the ball through...arranged like the hammer and sickle, with the slogan of a Norwegian leftist party underneath, with the word 'croquet' substituted in in place of one of the actual words. Comedy gold. Anyway, a fellow member of the croquet team is studying in China, and was once wearing this t-shirt. Her lecturer at university said 'oh! You're a communist! We're all communists in China!'

...no, no you're not. Clearly you're not...

I summary: this shit both sucks and blows! SHORT LIVE THE 'REVOLUTION'!!! or whatever people say in this kind of situation...

:rolleyes: