Long Live the Victory of Mao Zedong Thought

Long Live the Victory of Mao Zedong Thought (Chinese: 毛泽东思想胜利万岁) is an epoxy resin statue in Shenyang, Liaoning province, China.[1][2] The monument is located on Zhongshan Square in the centre of the city.[3][4] The statue is one of the largest of Chairman Mao Zedong in the country.[5][6][7] It is one of the main provincial Cultural Revolution-era monuments not removed in later years.[8]

Long Live the Victory of Mao Zedong Thought
毛泽东思想胜利万岁
The Long Live the Victory of Mao Zedong Thought monument in Shenyang
Coordinates
LocationZhongshan Square, centre of Shenyang, China
Designerstudents from the Art Academy
TypeStatue
MaterialEpoxy
Height9 metres (30 ft)
Completion dateOctober 1, 1970
Dedicated toMao Zedong
Front view of the monument

The monument was erected by students from the Art Academy, who worked for two years on the project. They were supervised by a committee of peasants and workers.[9] It was inaugurated on October 1, 1970, during the 21st anniversary celebrations of the founding of the People's Republic of China.[1][10] The statue of Chairman Mao is 9 metres (30 ft) tall, and the base another 9 metres (30 ft) tall. The phrase "Long Live the Victory of Mao Zedong Thought" was carved on the front of the base.[1]

The base is surrounded by statues of 58 'worker-peasant-soldier heroes'. They are divided into eight groups, representing different struggles of the Chinese people under the leadership of Chairman Mao.[1] Most of the surrounding characters originally carried Little Red Books, but most of these have been removed.[3] The first group represents soldiers and civilians, propagating the appeal of the 9th National Congress of the Communist Party of China ("Unite to win still greater victories"). The group of statues at back of the base is titled "Party Building", and seeks to display the early phase of the Communist Party. The three groups on the left ("A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire", "Long Live the People's War" and "Carry the Revolution to the End") illustrate struggles during the Chinese Civil War. The remaining three groups ("Socialism is Good", "Long Live the Three Red Banners" and "Carry the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution Through to the End") on the right side of the base illustrate the phase of socialist revolution.[1]

References
  1. Chinese Literature. Foreign Languages Press., 1971. pp. 132–133
  2. The China Business Handbook. London: China Economic Review, 1900. p. 226
  3. Leffman, David, Simon Lewis, and Jeremy Atiyah. China. London: Rough Guides, 2003. p. 193
  4. New York Times. Shenyang Journal; A City That Undoes Mao Under His Steady Gaze
  5. Industrial Cities: History and Future. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press, 2013. p. 357
  6. Asian Recorder, Vol. 38. K. K. Thomas at Recorder Press, 1992. p. 22481
  7. Hertsgaard, Mark. Earth Odyssey: Around the World in Search of Our Environmental Future. New York: Broadway Books, 1999. p. 177
  8. Brown, Kerry. Friends and Enemies: The Past, Present and Future of the Communist Party of China. London: Anthem Press, 2009. p. 74
  9. Topping, Seymour, Tillman Durdin, James Reston, and Frank Ching. Report from Red China. New York: Aron books, 1972. p. 223
  10. Topping, Seymour. Journey between Two Chinas. New York: Harper & Row, 1972. p. 318
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