Changes in Education, Marriage and Religion Under Mao Social Reform Changes in Education, Marriage and Religion Under Mao

Thought Reform The CCP launched a number of campaigns to reshape the attitudes and habits of the Chinese people, in an effort to establish political control. The goal was not just a socialist economy, but also a socialist culture and mindset. In order to establish tight control on the Chinese people (particularly in the towns where the CCP had not previously been influential), the CCP created work units (danwei), to which all citizens had to belong and where everyone was subject to surveillance.

Country, People, Labor, Science, Public Property Thought Reform A series of mass organizations were created to get all citizens (of every age) under CCP control. National Women’s Association New Democratic Youth League (14-25 years old) Children’s Pioneer Corps (9-14) Children were taught the Five Loves: Country, People, Labor, Science, Public Property

Opposition and Corruption Mao wanted to identify and eliminate anyone within China who continued to support to KMT. The Korean War heightened his fear about ‘potential enemies’ within China, which led to attacks against counter-revolutionaries. - mass demonstrations against US - Chinese encouraged to identify spies - over 700,000 executed within 6 months - almost 1 million put in “reform labor camps’ “No matter when the enemies arrive, whether daytime or nighttime, we must make them go back dead. Always be prepared to fight!’

Opposition and Corruption The Three and Five-Antis Campaigns(1951-1952) - targeted corruption, waste, elitism, bribery, tax evasion, fraud - directed against officials (both CCP and KMT) - forced to undergo ‘criticism’ campaigns Campaign Against Counter-Revolutionaries (1950- - goal was to eradicate KMT members who were trying to undermine power of CCP - accused were publicly denounced in mass trials - sentenced to labor reform, estimated 1-2 million were executed

“Every Generation is Red!” Education Poster displays Mao’s concept of “continuous revolution” Goal: To increase literacy rates and expand educational opportunities for everyone - massive drive to increase primary school attendance (doubled from 1949-1953) - received help from SU (Russian teachers in China, Chinese students in USSR, Soviet-style Ministry of Education) Results: - Failure of equality of education (supposed to be free, but parents ultimately ended up paying for books, paper, teachers’ salaries) - quality of education in rural areas was poor - education beyond primary was not encouraged (anti- intellectualism); schools used for indoctrination “Every Generation is Red!”

Education In Pinyin each sound combo is given a character Results: - Pinyin was created to simplify learning of Mandarin (2,238 simplified Chinese characters) - “little teacher” program created where children would visit peasants in the field to share their learning (emphasis was on practical learning, rather than intellectual thought) - Results appeared impressive, but were very misleading - Despite formation of youth organizations, the students were the most critical of Mao’s regime (leading to the launching of his ‘Cultural Revolution’)

Religion Goal: While religious toleration was officially sanctioned by the CCP, Mao viewed religion as a ‘poisonous capitalist invention” and wanted to abolish all religious practices (seen as one of the ‘Four Olds’ during Cultural Revolution) Results: - closure of all places of worship (of any faith) and expulsion of any foreign priests and missionaries - ‘patriotic churches’ could operate as long as they severed ties to foreign churches and preached communist views (rare) - Limit to eradication of religion – belief remained strong in rural areas (particularly Tibet, which was taken over by China in 1950) “..And Chairman Mao shall be the sun!”

“Women hold up half the sky” – Mao Zedong Goal: To transform the lives of women from the traditional Chinese role of subservience to one of equity and equality. Results: (Positive) - many of the traditional practices (footbinding, killing of unwanted baby girls, concubines, arranged marriages, dowries) were abolished - 1950 Marriage Law permitted divorce, 1953 Election Law gave women the right to vote, movement to end prostitution, encouragement to train for “men-only” jobs - communes changed domestic roles (freedom from chores, raising children

Women Results: (Negative) - destruction of family structure (huge number of divorces, commune living and ‘cult of Mao’ undermined parental authority, ban on ‘ancestor worship’ severed family ties, challenging for women to find work/mother balance) - in many areas, traditional values were maintained and government interference was resented (and ignored) - Women were criticized if they didn’t follow the CCP guidelines for marriage and family (late marriage, 2 kids spaced 2-4 years apart)

Arts and Culture Jiang Qing Goal: To make the arts a means of communist propaganda (Mao didn’t believe in ‘art for art’s sake’) and to use to it to extoll the virtues of ‘party’ and ‘country’. Results: - Mao put his wife, Jiang Qing, in charge of cultural affairs (she had previously been an actress) and was made the ‘cultural purifier of the nation’ - The state controlled print media, radio, movies and plays and all writers, musicians and artists were heavily censored - Used the arts as a way to launch the ‘Great Proletariat Cultural Revolution’ and the campaign against the ‘Four Olds’

Art was taken from homes, destroyed Arts and Culture Results: - Libraries, museums were closed. - Plays, operas and ballets were state- commissioned and reflected party ideals - Artists of all sorts were silenced by the terrorizing tactics of the CCP and by the 1970s China had become ‘an artistic wasteland’ - Traditional Chinese culture had been destroyed, nothing of substantial value had taken its place Art was taken from homes, destroyed

Arts and Culture Results: Model plays and operas that reflected the power and virtue of Mao, CCP and China were permitted They were, in the words of Jiang Qing, be “red, bright and shiny” Most artists were persecuted as counter- revolutionaries (“black-line, or anti-Mao) The Red Detachment of Women Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy Azalea Mountain