Madame Mao: The White-Boned Demon

Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Revolutionary
Review: Terrill made a very impressive life-account of Jiang Qing a.k.a. Madame Mao. I am very impressed by this truthful and honest account of Jiang Qing. Madame Jiang Qing is totally unlike any modern communist Chinese personality; she was a political wife, the woman behind the charismatic Chairman Mao Zedong. Who is this lady? How was she able to survived the turmoil of prewar Shanghai period, the Communist Revolution and lastly the Cultural Revolution. Modern China is famous for a few women, e.g. Madame Soong Qingling, Madame Wang Guangmei, Madame Deng Yingchao, and lastly Madame Jiang Qing. For all these women except for Madame Soong Qingling were women of power due to their husband who had privileged positions within the Communist Party. On the other hand, Madame Soong was the symbolism of the previous Republican Era, perhaps the torch-bearer of Dr Sun Yat Sen's idealism. Jiang Qing is a paradox in Chinese Communism, she was not the typical peasant woman nor is she the idealistic communist comrade. She was neither, instead she was an ambitious and budding film star, gaining popularity in the Shanghai prewar era. In all accounts, she is a true bourgeois and capitalistic person. But, nevertheless this lady rose to become the greatest revolutionary leader of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. Li Shumeng, the infant name of Jiang Qing, was born in Shandong province in Northern China in 1914 where the Chinese Revolution was still in action. Athough the Chinese Revolution brought to an end to the 2000 years of Imperial China but nothing much change, it was very much like the old order. The Confucianist China was in fact retrogressing towards the Warlord Era where the might of the sword becomes the law in Peking. Jing Qing upbringing was not something to remember, she was a daughter or a minor wife (probably a concubine too), thus resulting in no special privileges. Her father Li Dewen was not the ideal parent, he drank heavily and enjoyed a rather poor reputation in Zhucheng. However, her mother was ambitious, perhaps an earlier version of the future Jiang Qing. Shumeng (pure and simple) was rather an ill-chosen name, it does not reflects upon the aggressive and outward looking Jiang Qing. Later, Jiang Qing's name was change by her grandfather to Li Yunhe (crane in the clouds), too rustic but yet one of the most suitable name for Jiang Qing. Jiang Qing was never the Confucianist demure woman but she challenged all avenues and made great inroads for the emancipation of women in China. I admire such strong character than made up the true nature of Jiang Qing. Li Yunhe, later to be christened again as Lan Ping (blue apple); life as an actress was seedy, perhaps too seedy for the communist comrade. Terill describe clearly her love affairs with her first three husbands from Mr Fei, Yu Qiwei and Tang Na. Her first marriage was a shamble, there was little love between this couple, it was with Yu Qiwei and Tang Na where she found true love. With Yu Qiwei, it was his idealistic and underground communist movement that made her fell for him, while Tang Na was their shared passion for the theatre as well as grasping the communist movement. True romantic love was never the context that brought together these two greatest revolutionaries figures in history. Mao Zedong, 45 was thrice married in 1937 and so was Lan Ping, 24 but it was the jest for political power, the jest for idealism that set in the nature of this long lasting relationship. In 1937, at the conclusion of the Long March and the end of the White Terror of Chiang Kai-shek, Mao Zedong set up base in Yanan that soon to be the bastion of Chinese Communism. Yanan was the ideal romanticism of communist ideology, I would say the founding of the People's Republic of China has its greatest pillars of strength in Yanan. Although, communist leaders like Zhu De, Liu Shaoqi, and Zhou Enlai was not of favour of Jiang Qing as the consort of the "great'' leader, for these communist zealots, He Zizhen (Mao's 3rd Wife) was in their mind was the ideal communist consort, the revolutionary love mate of Mao Zedong. He Zizhen shouldered the brunt of the revolution and the sufferings of the Long March. But in the end, He Zizhen lost to Lan Ping the young and beautiful actress whereas He Zizhen was frail and perhaps on the brink of schizophrenia. Lan Ping's final name change to Jiang Qing (Blue River) was the start of a new Jiang Qing, the consort or the "ai ren" of Chairman Mao Zedong. Although known as Mrs. Chairman, she is still far behind in the list of the Communist hierarchy, she was to be known as the lady lover behind Mao not the women equal as He Zizhen. Nevertheless, her rise in the Communist Party was slow and never meteoric as continuos purges of of her was done in a symbolic way:- seeking medication and rest in Moscow. On each trip back from Moscow, her status diminished. However, the litmus test of Jiang Qing was the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, she headed the steering committee of the Cultural Revolution that become the de-facto politburo in China. The Cultural Revolution group plotted revenge, denouncing the rightist, the capitalist roaders like Liu Shaoqi, Deng Xiaoping etc. Together with their husbands, their wives eg Wang Guangmei was sent to the gallows as crimes in bed. Imagine that the Red Guards, agents of Jiang Qing became the dominant forces of the Cultural Revolution. Although many authors and sinologist might view Jiang Qing's action as outright evil, perhaps counter-revolutionary but in my humble opinion it is none of that sort:- it was plain political power struggle. Jiang Qing plotted and bided (although failed) for the prime post of Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty. When Emperor Tai Zong died, his consort Wu Zetian usurped the throne in her favour, at first with the blessings of the heir apparent but later she became the "emperor" in her own right. Jiang Qing is perhaps the modern version of Empress Wu, in this case as the living "emperor" became weaker, Jiang became the mouth-piece of the 'emperor' "I was Mao's Dog, he asked me to bite and I bite", the most famous quotation that justified Jiang Qing as acting according to the wishes of Chairman Mao. How justifiable is this statement? Was Jiang acting as Mrs Mao or was she on her true account. After the purge of the Gang of Four, many historians view Jiang Qing as the ringleader behind the folly of the Cultural Revolution but Terrill made a very comprehensive account considering facts from both sides. I would say that this account is rather accurate relegating the facts from fiction...

Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Revolutionary
Review: Terrill made a very impressive life-account of Jiang Qing a.k.a. Madame Mao. I am very impressed by this truthful and honest account of Jiang Qing. Madame Jiang Qing is totally unlike any modern communist Chinese personality; she was a political wife, the woman behind the charismatic Chairman Mao Zedong. Who is this lady? How was she able to survived the turmoil of prewar Shanghai period, the Communist Revolution and lastly the Cultural Revolution. Modern China is famous for a few women, e.g. Madame Soong Qingling, Madame Wang Guangmei, Madame Deng Yingchao, and lastly Madame Jiang Qing. For all these women except for Madame Soong Qingling were women of power due to their husband who had privileged positions within the Communist Party. On the other hand, Madame Soong was the symbolism of the previous Republican Era, perhaps the torch-bearer of Dr Sun Yat Sen's idealism. Jiang Qing is a paradox in Chinese Communism, she was not the typical peasant woman nor is she the idealistic communist comrade. She was neither, instead she was an ambitious and budding film star, gaining popularity in the Shanghai prewar era. In all accounts, she is a true bourgeois and capitalistic person. But, nevertheless this lady rose to become the greatest revolutionary leader of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. Li Shumeng, the infant name of Jiang Qing, was born in Shandong province in Northern China in 1914 where the Chinese Revolution was still in action. Athough the Chinese Revolution brought to an end to the 2000 years of Imperial China but nothing much change, it was very much like the old order. The Confucianist China was in fact retrogressing towards the Warlord Era where the might of the sword becomes the law in Peking. Jing Qing upbringing was not something to remember, she was a daughter or a minor wife (probably a concubine too), thus resulting in no special privileges. Her father Li Dewen was not the ideal parent, he drank heavily and enjoyed a rather poor reputation in Zhucheng. However, her mother was ambitious, perhaps an earlier version of the future Jiang Qing. Shumeng (pure and simple) was rather an ill-chosen name, it does not reflects upon the aggressive and outward looking Jiang Qing. Later, Jiang Qing's name was change by her grandfather to Li Yunhe (crane in the clouds), too rustic but yet one of the most suitable name for Jiang Qing. Jiang Qing was never the Confucianist demure woman but she challenged all avenues and made great inroads for the emancipation of women in China. I admire such strong character than made up the true nature of Jiang Qing. Li Yunhe, later to be christened again as Lan Ping (blue apple); life as an actress was seedy, perhaps too seedy for the communist comrade. Terill describe clearly her love affairs with her first three husbands from Mr Fei, Yu Qiwei and Tang Na. Her first marriage was a shamble, there was little love between this couple, it was with Yu Qiwei and Tang Na where she found true love. With Yu Qiwei, it was his idealistic and underground communist movement that made her fell for him, while Tang Na was their shared passion for the theatre as well as grasping the communist movement. True romantic love was never the context that brought together these two greatest revolutionaries figures in history. Mao Zedong, 45 was thrice married in 1937 and so was Lan Ping, 24 but it was the jest for political power, the jest for idealism that set in the nature of this long lasting relationship. In 1937, at the conclusion of the Long March and the end of the White Terror of Chiang Kai-shek, Mao Zedong set up base in Yanan that soon to be the bastion of Chinese Communism. Yanan was the ideal romanticism of communist ideology, I would say the founding of the People's Republic of China has its greatest pillars of strength in Yanan. Although, communist leaders like Zhu De, Liu Shaoqi, and Zhou Enlai was not of favour of Jiang Qing as the consort of the "great'' leader, for these communist zealots, He Zizhen (Mao's 3rd Wife) was in their mind was the ideal communist consort, the revolutionary love mate of Mao Zedong. He Zizhen shouldered the brunt of the revolution and the sufferings of the Long March. But in the end, He Zizhen lost to Lan Ping the young and beautiful actress whereas He Zizhen was frail and perhaps on the brink of schizophrenia. Lan Ping's final name change to Jiang Qing (Blue River) was the start of a new Jiang Qing, the consort or the "ai ren" of Chairman Mao Zedong. Although known as Mrs. Chairman, she is still far behind in the list of the Communist hierarchy, she was to be known as the lady lover behind Mao not the women equal as He Zizhen. Nevertheless, her rise in the Communist Party was slow and never meteoric as continuos purges of of her was done in a symbolic way:- seeking medication and rest in Moscow. On each trip back from Moscow, her status diminished. However, the litmus test of Jiang Qing was the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, she headed the steering committee of the Cultural Revolution that become the de-facto politburo in China. The Cultural Revolution group plotted revenge, denouncing the rightist, the capitalist roaders like Liu Shaoqi, Deng Xiaoping etc. Together with their husbands, their wives eg Wang Guangmei was sent to the gallows as crimes in bed. Imagine that the Red Guards, agents of Jiang Qing became the dominant forces of the Cultural Revolution. Although many authors and sinologist might view Jiang Qing's action as outright evil, perhaps counter-revolutionary but in my humble opinion it is none of that sort:- it was plain political power struggle. Jiang Qing plotted and bided (although failed) for the prime post of Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty. When Emperor Tai Zong died, his consort Wu Zetian usurped the throne in her favour, at first with the blessings of the heir apparent but later she became the "emperor" in her own right. Jiang Qing is perhaps the modern version of Empress Wu, in this case as the living "emperor" became weaker, Jiang became the mouth-piece of the 'emperor' "I was Mao's Dog, he asked me to bite and I bite", the most famous quotation that justified Jiang Qing as acting according to the wishes of Chairman Mao. How justifiable is this statement? Was Jiang acting as Mrs Mao or was she on her true account. After the purge of the Gang of Four, many historians view Jiang Qing as the ringleader behind the folly of the Cultural Revolution but Terrill made a very comprehensive account considering facts from both sides. I would say that this account is rather accurate relegating the facts from fiction...

Rating:
Summary: Engrossing
Review: Terrill provides us with such a detailed picture of Jiang Qing as an individual that her erratic behavior becomes easier to comprehend. The vivid details of random persecutions and of the bureaucracy in general reinforce any misgivings you may have over the "beneficent" motives underlying the Communist movement in China. All in all, a remarkable book that we are lucky to read - that the author was able to conduct such detailed research, given the cultural impediments, is impressive.

Rating:
Summary: a very timely read - recommended to everyone
Review: This book is a laborous attempt to highlight a huge danger of a society reliant on both totalitarian tenets and on a Tzar-like charisma of a single human leader. With no democracy nor a modern social system based on rule of law and free flow of information, PRC China as of today faces the same - or even grander - catastrophic risk of implosion as depicted in the book. Especially so given China's growing presence and power militarily, politically and economically.

Rating:
Summary: a very timely read - recommended to everyone
Review: This book was totally engrossing. Having read many previous historical accounts of the last 5 decades of Chinese History, I never fully understood the role of Jiang Qing. Always, in other books, her one and only epithet would be something like, "an ambitious actress from Shanghai..." That would be fine to describe a lesser figure in the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution, but I always felt it completely inadequate when discussing THE instigator of said turmoil. This book helps to elucidate the woman who caused so much of the havoc that took China to the brink of destruction for so long a time.

This book shows the young Qing as, indeed, the ambitious Shanghai actress, and the drama that would resurface 30 years later, with her in power over her numerous enemies. Also, the book is not singularly concentrated on Qing; rather, it shows the complex, at times Kafakaesque intrigues of the Communist system under Mao. Of how good friends and mentors, Zhou Enlai for example, who tried to keep a hospital-bound Qing in high spirits when even Mao himself did not (or did not care), later became bitter enemies, and the back-stabbing necessary to retain power (or stay alive) in Mao-era China.

Very interesting work, completely readable. The only gripes I have with this book is that I have read several of the books Terrill uses as his sources, and I noticed on several occasions that he includes, verbatim, what others already wrote. He does give credit sometimes, though. Also, I found his extensive use of footnotes-cum-elaboration to be quite cumbersome, and wish he had just put the extra detail into the body itself, and not at the bottom of the page--it just throws off your reading and got aggrivating at points. However, these are minor points; the book itself is quite excellent, and I would highly recommend it for those wishing to get another angle on the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution.

Rating:
Summary: An Important Look Madame Mao
Review: This book was totally engrossing. Having read many previous historical accounts of the last 5 decades of Chinese History, I never fully understood the role of Jiang Qing. Always, in other books, her one and only epithet would be something like, "an ambitious actress from Shanghai..." That would be fine to describe a lesser figure in the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution, but I always felt it completely inadequate when discussing THE instigator of said turmoil. This book helps to elucidate the woman who caused so much of the havoc that took China to the brink of destruction for so long a time.

This book shows the young Qing as, indeed, the ambitious Shanghai actress, and the drama that would resurface 30 years later, with her in power over her numerous enemies. Also, the book is not singularly concentrated on Qing; rather, it shows the complex, at times Kafakaesque intrigues of the Communist system under Mao. Of how good friends and mentors, Zhou Enlai for example, who tried to keep a hospital-bound Qing in high spirits when even Mao himself did not (or did not care), later became bitter enemies, and the back-stabbing necessary to retain power (or stay alive) in Mao-era China.

Very interesting work, completely readable. The only gripes I have with this book is that I have read several of the books Terrill uses as his sources, and I noticed on several occasions that he includes, verbatim, what others already wrote. He does give credit sometimes, though. Also, I found his extensive use of footnotes-cum-elaboration to be quite cumbersome, and wish he had just put the extra detail into the body itself, and not at the bottom of the page--it just throws off your reading and got aggrivating at points. However, these are minor points; the book itself is quite excellent, and I would highly recommend it for those wishing to get another angle on the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution.