On the 34th anniversary of Mao Zedong's death, Mao's only adult male descendent, Mao Xinyu, spent September 9 both with his family and the media.
Mausoleum in Tiananmen Square.In the morning Mao, together with his wife and 7-year-old son, paid homage to his grandfather, preserved in his crystal coffin in the Mausoleum in Tiananmen Square. In the afternoon, he gave a 30-minute speech on "The formation and development of Mao Zedong's thoughts on the military" with people.com.cn. He then held a one-hour online discussion answering questions from a Global Times reporter and other online participants.
Accompanied by two uniformed soldiers, his secretary and his wife Liu Bin, Major General Mao Xinyu arrived punctually for the speech, filmed and broadcast in real time from the online news platform. He wore a general's uniform and matched it with a pair of cloth shoes. He smiled as he entered the room. His guards were left downstairs.
The talk was an easy task for the 40-year-old, recently appointed a major general by the PLA, whose research subject during his doctorate was, not surprisingly, Mao Zedong's military strategies.
Mao proved to be an experienced speaker. He gave a fluent speech despite carrying no script with him. He quoted numbers or dates directly from his memory and was at ease with online feedback. He also had an awareness of timing and concluded his speech just in time for the facilitator to ask him a final question.
The final question picked by the moderator was "One person said he appreciated the occasion to learn from you about Mao Zedong. Mao was a great military strategist, but do you think he committed any mistakes?"
Previously stating his grandfather was "the greatest strategist in human history," Mao answered immediately. He first explained Mao Zedong himself had publicly admitted that he was not invincible, and then gave two examples of his grandfather's mistakes: One was the Tucheng Battle near the Chishui River during the Long March, and second was during the Korean War, Mao hadn't considered the cruel winter in North Korea carefully and the soldiers could have been better prepared for the bitter cold.
Mao has compared his grandfather to Sun Tzu, the great strategist of the Warring States period (476-221 BC) but claimed he was superior, because Mao has applied Marxism and the result was that "China's traditional military thoughts were greatly improved." He concluded that "Mao's military thoughts are far more superior than Sun Tzu's Art of War."
Mao also said that "Even though Mao Zedong declared in 1949 in Tiananmen that 'Today, the Chinese people stand up!' The world did not truly recognize (China) until after the Vietnam and Korean wars were over. "
From martial to marital
The only time Mao paused for though was when the facilitator of the online Q&A session urged Mao to reply to the question, "Could you tell us what kind of person your wife is?"
Mao complied but took a long sip of water first. Looking straight ahead at his wife sitting opposite him, he said, "My wife is a qualified and excellent army officer. She's given me a lot of assistance in my research and in my life. In addition to her work duties, she needs to assist and manage a lot of family affairs."
Liu Bin, Mao's wife, smiled at her husband's words. "And you don't want to thank me?" she said.
"Of course, " Mao said, "I sincerely express my thanks to my wife."
It's rare occasion that Mao talks about his wife. Mao said he has held over 10 press conferences now, and a reporter said it was the first time that Liu accompanied her husband.
Liu and Mao have a boy and a baby girl, Dongdong and Tianyi. She wore very light makeup at the day of interview and was also in uniform. A more senior army officer than Mao, who joined the army in 2000, she listened attentively to his answer. The secretary was busy taking photos and video of the interview.
It wasn't the first time Mao has accepted interview requests from People.com.cn. The oldest one that could be found online was dated 2001 when he wore a white shirt and a pair of dark trousers to the interview, in contrast to his current military getup. The topics of his interviews ranged from "My grandfather Mao Zedong" in 2001, "The long march: its glorious history and a lesson for the future" in 2006, "How to be a qualified political advisor" in 2008 and "The formation and development of Mao Zedong's thoughts on the military" in 2010.
The interview arrangements weren't very complicated, said Zhang, an editor with people.com.cn. It took him 21 days.In comparison, the live interview with Hu Jintao, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) took six-month of preparation. "The entire People's Daily headquarters were sealed off," said He, an editor with people.com.cn for seven years.
Don't forget the uniforms
Mao's secretary reminded the editor to update the photo of Mao in the studio, "Please change it to one with Major General Mao in uniform".
After his 10 years of military service, Mao Xinyu wants to be remembered as a general, but he is more frequently re-ferred to as "Mao's grandson." During the nationwide celebration campaign of the 70th anniversary of the end of the Long March in 2006, Mao was invited to tour the country. The topic of his speeches was "Grandfather and the Long March". He gave the same speech a dozen times around the country, always beginning by introducing his family members, including his two aunts, Mao's daughters Li Min and Li Ne. Mao was forced to abandon several other children during the Long March, leaving them with peasant families; some were never recovered.
"My impression towards Mao has changed after these contacts", said He, a veteran reporter. "He is actually quite down-to-earth.
"If I had such a grandfather, I would keep mentioning his name too."
Excerpt from the online discussion
Global Times: What happened to your proposal of naming the first made-in- China aircraft carrier after Mao Zedong?
Mao: It was a personal thought, not a formal proposal as a political advisor. As a general, like I said, I was very interested in the development of the Second Artillery Corps and our Marine forces. I am glad to know that the marines are constructing the first aircraft carrier. Like all Chinese, I hope our marines can have an aircraft-carrier. This is a matter of national dignity as well as sovereignty. As long as we have our own aircraft carrier, the naming of it is no big deal.
Global Times: Compared with the children of other senior leaders, you are frank and friendly towards the media. when do you start to adopt this attitude? Mao: Since my university days in 1988. With the increase of age and knowledge and especially after I started the study of Mao Zedong's thoughts in the Central Party School, I have become more at ease towards media inquiries and interviews. Shuodianshihua1: Major General, Chairman Mao's proposal of better troops and simpler administration is still applicable today. There are too many officials and too much administration, a major reason people are not satisfied. Could you please renew the call for better troops and simpler administration?
Mao: To be more precise, Chinese troops started downsizing when the reform and opening up began. The first time was in 1984 by Comrade Deng Xiaoping. Millions were discharged from the army. There were two more campaigns in the 1990s. My personal view is that the discharges have increased the combat effectiveness of the army and it is also important for the modernization process of Chinese troops and military defense. There will be digital troops in the future, and we will fight digital battles, which last shorter and don't need so many soldiers. At the same time, we are faced with two responsibilities: a higher degree of mechanization and the transition to information warfare. Tianxiadiyitie: The Rand Research and Development Corporation said, we fear no modernization of Chinese troops, but we do if they are equipped by Mao's thoughts. What are your comments?
Mao: The Rand Corporation was confident that in terms of modernization, Chinese troops wouldn't match theirs. However we have the Mao Zedong thoughts, our precious tradition, which made us invincible (in Korean and Vietnam Wars). We should uphold two principles. The first is the Party guides the gun, and our troops can only achieve victory under the leadership of the Party. The second is People's War, where support from the people is indispensable for our past victories against the invaders. What the West and even the Americans fear is (the principle of people's war). They have learned (this lesson) in the Korean War and even during the Liberation War when they were on the side of Chiang Kai-shek. Therefore we should insist on the Party's leadership and the theory of people's war.
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