On Being with Krista Tippett Anchee Min — Surviving the Religion of Mao
Jun 17, 2004
Anchee Min, Chinese-American novelist and memoirist who survived Mao-era China, recounts indoctrination, forced labor camps, and forbidden love. She speaks about how writing became atonement and how coming to America reshaped her identity. The conversation touches on Confucian ethics, the religious power of Mao, vanished souls, and the quiet faith modeled by her mother.
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Mao As A Secular Religion
- Mao functioned as a secular religion, replacing personal and familial loyalties with devotion to the Party and Chairman Mao.
- Anchee Min argues this exploited a deep human desire to be good and gave life meaning while erasing individual identity.
Youth Redeployed To The Countryside
- At 17, Anchee Min eagerly embraced the policy sending youth to the countryside and felt heroic and devoted.
- She describes being inspired to endure hardship as a noble act shaped by propaganda and peer expectation.
Denouncing Her Teacher On Stage
- Anchee Min was coerced to denounce her beloved teacher on a stage of 2,000 people, destroying their bond.
- She recalls the pressure from officials and the poisonous stories used to justify cruelty, like the snake tale.
