Vandal damages China's iconic Mao portrait

[Randy W]

Vandal damages China's iconic Mao portrait

[Cerberus]

Vandal damages China's iconic Mao portrait

Looks like someone is going to get an all expenses paid trip to an upper Mongolian Reeducation Center of PRC's choosing!

 

Wife was never a member of CCP. She pointed out most Chinese weren't all that crazy about his politics, but his thoughts and words are still cherished by many. She pointed out that many places in Chengdu have monuments with quotations from Chairman Mao on them. They have never been touched, by anyone in their right mind!

[Randy W]

I saw on the Chinese news just now that they actually took the picture down!

[Cerberus]

I saw on the Chinese news just now that they actually took the picture down!

Randy I saw that in the article;

 

"...The damaged portrait would be replaced on Saturday night, the report said, adding armed guards were in the area and the Forbidden City was still closed to visitors. The portrait is periodically replaced with an identical copy..."

 

This surprised me. I didn't know that the photpgraph was occasionally replaced. However, this should have been a "no-brainer" to me, since Bejing doesn't have exactly the most pristene air.

 

I wonder if National Police have "extracted" the confession from the unemployed worker that was detained? Whatever! I wouldn't want to be in his shoes right now!

[Urkidding]

I saw on the Chinese news just now that they actually took the picture down!

 

OK Randy...

 

Where were you on the the night of May 12 at 11:00 PM and where is the little red gas can that Roger loaned you...

 

Speak up - we can'nt hear you!

[Guest knloregon]

There is still an official cadre of artists working in a back neighborhood of Beijing charged with the upkeep of official Mao paintings in public places----and not just the one in Tiananmen---but in other public places in the Capitol. It used to be a positon of great honor, sort of an artistic version of the changing of the guard at the "Tomb of The Unknowns" at Arlington.....

 

Now it is staffed by the very old guard of Party artists.... True Believers----from a bygone era. But they have talent, and from time to time, replace the Tiananmen portrait, rework the one that came down, and the cycle continues....

[padre]

I did not see anything reported about this within China. I checked CCTV website in English, China Daily, and People's Daily. I saw it on Yahoo.com.

[SheLikesME?]

Huh, wonder what they do with the old dirty ones? We better not comment.

Edited May 14, 2007 by SheLikesME? (see edit history)

[notrevorich]

Huh, wonder what they do with the old dirty ones? We better not comment.

Probably they are sold on Ebay B)

[chinchillax]

I did not see anything reported about this within China. I checked CCTV website in English, China Daily, and People's Daily. I saw it on Yahoo.com.

I am not surprised it wasn't reported locally. The CCP usually wants to keep these things tight lip since there are many people that have a grudge or hatred toward Mao/the CCP and the gov't want people to believe they live in a utopian society and that this incident was a minor incident

 

but at the same time the gap between the poor and wealth grows ever wider.

[Guest knloregon]

They rework the old ones, so its just a matter of taking one down, and putting the reworked one up.

 

Many things (out of the ordinary) that occur in Tiananmen don't make the nationa (Xinhua)l press---but more and more some things do, such as personal protests about wages and protests against local corruption.

 

The Party knows full well that China isn't a "utopian society" and has become much more open about the difference in wealth between the rich and poor. One might suggest that the Party's admissions in this area is more honest than say, the Bush admn. about the growing gap between the rich and poor in the US.

 

In China, the gap is getting wider because the rich and middle class in the big eastern cities are getting MUCH wealthier, while the agrian segment is still making historic material strides in the countryside, but no where near as much as in the big cities. Meanwhile, in the US the middle and lower classes are actually losing buying power..

[TootTaLu]

I did not see anything reported about this within China. I checked CCTV website in English, China Daily, and People's Daily. I saw it on Yahoo.com.

I am not surprised it wasn't reported locally. The CCP usually wants to keep these things tight lip since there are many people that have a grudge or hatred toward Mao/the CCP and the gov't want people to believe they live in a utopian society and that this incident was a minor incident

 

but at the same time the gap between the poor and wealth grows ever wider.

Rural Chinese regard Mao as a war hero,and proudly display his photo in the home,much in the same way a rural american displays the American flag.

 

In the cities the educated people have different opinions about it.

If you talk to a young student who is to young to remember when Mao was the leader,they believe the stuff thats taught about him in school "A great leader with the 10,000 year dream",much like a young American student believes what they are taught about George Washington or Abraham Lincoln.

 

Older Chinese will openly discuss their hatred of Mao,especially in Beijing.

Sure,Mao was a great war hero to begin with,but he stayed in control too many years and he was not a good leader for China.

Thats why ONLY RECENTLY the Chinese money was changed with Mao's face on all of the bills,because the younger generation does not remember any of that stuff.

If they had tried to do that 20 years ago,the people would not have gone for it.

[David&Wendy]

That is not the interesting part.

I'm in Shenzhen, China.

Three interesting things to note:

 

1) in the Chinese and English versions of the news article published inside the country. The person was quote "a former mental patient at a psych facility." haha

 

2) The picture weighs 2 TONS.

 

3) They had a spare picture and that they 'quickly' replaced the burned one.

 

They closed the Forbidden City, replaced the picture and then re-opened the F.C.

 

I saw on the Chinese news just now that they actually took the picture down!

[TootTaLu]

That is not the interesting part.

I'm in Shenzhen, China.

Three interesting things to note:

 

1) in the Chinese and English versions of the news article published inside the country. The person was quote "a former mental patient at a psych facility." haha

 

2) The picture weighs 2 TONS.

 

3) They had a spare picture and that they 'quickly' replaced the burned one.

 

They closed the Forbidden City, replaced the picture and then re-opened the F.C.

 

I saw on the Chinese news just now that they actually took the picture down!

HaHa,you would HAVE to be a mental patient to pull a stunt like that.

He didn't even do a very good job of vandalizim,barely damaged the picture.

 

In America,we dont have to keep "spare" Statue Of Liberty,just in case .

[Cerberus]

That is not the interesting part.

I'm in Shenzhen, China.

Three interesting things to note:

 

1) in the Chinese and English versions of the news article published inside the country. The person was quote "a former mental patient at a psych facility." haha

 

2) The picture weighs 2 TONS.

 

3) They had a spare picture and that they 'quickly' replaced the burned one.

 

They closed the Forbidden City, replaced the picture and then re-opened the F.C.

 

I saw on the Chinese news just now that they actually took the picture down!

HaHa,you would HAVE to be a mental patient to pull a stunt like that.

He didn't even do a very good job of vandalizim,barely damaged the picture.

 

In America,we dont have to keep "spare" Statue Of Liberty,just in case .

Cause we have cases and casses of Brasso metal polish! This could be a new viable government run program!

 

BTW, what happened to the detained worker? Any news of the confesssion? Or did he just take off for his "vacation" in upper Mongolia already?