Official remembering and forgetting in Xi Xinping's China

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Explaining History, Nick explores the complex and often suppressed memory of China's recent past. Drawing on Tania Branigan's Red Memory, we delve into the heart of Beijing—Tiananmen Square—and unpack its layers of history, from the May Fourth Movement of 1919 to the founding of the People's Republic in 1949 and the tragedy of 1989.

Why does the portrait of Mao Zedong still gaze over the square, despite the catastrophes of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution? How does the Chinese Communist Party use "Red Tourism" and curated museums to construct a narrative of national rejuvenation while burying the trauma of its own making? From the "Century of Humiliation" to Xi Jinping's "Chinese Dream," we examine how memory is not just history, but a tool of state legitimacy.

Plus: A reminder for students! Tickets are selling fast for our live masterclass on the Russian Revolution and Stalinism on January 26th.and you can access advert free episodes here on Patreon

Key Topics:

• Tiananmen Square: A site of revolution, celebration, and massacre.
• The Cult of Mao: Why the Chairman remains the "vigilant eye" over modern China.
• Red Tourism: How the party commodifies its revolutionary past.
• Historical Amnesia: The erasure of the Cultural Revolution and the Great Famine from public discourse.

Books Mentioned:

• Red Memory: Living, Remembering and Forgetting China's Cultural Revolution by Tania Branigan
• The Age of Extremes by Eric Hobsbawm (referenced contextually)

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