During our recent visit to Beijing, Joanne's parents were very kind to bestow upon me their collection of Mao Zedong badges and pins from the cultural revolution in China. The collection that they gave to me consists of over twenty-five pieces made from plastic, tin and porcelain. The majority of the badges feature the left profile of Mao. Images of the right profile of Mao were considered taboo during the cultural revolution due to the prevailing leftist political sentiment.
The following excerpt from Bill Bishop's very thorough history of Mao Zedong badges summarizes the significant role that these badges played during the cultural revolution -
"Badges carrying the image of Mao Zedong first appeared in China before liberation. They were produced sporadically until the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, when in late summer 1966 they began to be manufactured in massive quantities. From the summer of 1966 to the summer of 1969, factories, work units and army units across the country stamped out over several billion badges in tens of thousands of varieties. Mao badges were an integral part of the cult of Mao. In his history of the Cultural Revolution, Yan Jiaqi includes a section entitled "`Displaying Loyalty` and Thought Control". According to Yan, "not long after the start of the Cultural Revolution...it suddenly became the rage to have a `little red book' in hand and a Chairman Mao badge pinned to the chest." According to one very rough estimate, in 1969 over ninety percent of people wore Mao badges."
In light of the historical context in which these badges were created and worn, they are indeed a very interesting piece of world history. In testament to the important place these badges have in the history of China's government and peoples, a few examples are part of the permanent collection at the British Museum as well as many other museum's collections.
With regard to my new collection of badges, I plan to organize them into a window frame and display them as a part of our family's life and history in China.
My collection of Mao Zedong badges and pins, given to me by my in-laws in Beijing.
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