The Return of Mao Zedong: On the Resumption of the Publication of the Pan-Left Journal ????"Zhongliu"
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?Long live Chairman Mao, the red sun in the hearts of the universal revolution?s people!?
The ``cultural revolution'' should also be viewed scientifically and in historical perspective. In initiating it Comrade Mao Zedong was actuated mainly by the desire to oppose and prevent revisionism. As for the shortcomings that appeared during the course of the ``cultural revolution'' and the mistakes that were made then, at an appropriate time they should be summed up and lessons should be drawn from them -- that is essential for achieving unity of understanding throughout the Party. The ``cultural revolution'' has become a stage in the course of China's socialist development, hence we must evaluate it. However, there is no need to do so hastily. Serious research must be done before we can make a scientific appraisal of this historical stage. It may take a rather long time to fully understand and assess some of the particular issues involved. We will probably be able to make a more correct analysis of this period in history after some time has passed than we can right now. (Deng Xiaooping, "Emancipate the mind, seek truth from facts and unite as one in looking to the future" (13 December 1978)
Almost nothing now says New Era theory in China like Mao Zedong. It has become quite apparent that the great fear of Marxist Leninist intellectual elites after 2010, of a re-centering of the development of Marxist Leninism from vigilance against left error (and the avoidance of a return to the sensibilities of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution) to a growing suspicion (and rectification) of right error (and the avoidance of the idea that Marxist Leninism was itself a step toward the adoption of liberal democratic sensibilities, or bureaucrat-capitalism of the sort favored now in the West) has been reversed in the current stage of Chinese development.
This has been signaled in a variety of ways since the start if the leadership of the current core. One of the most interesting is likely to go unnoticed in the West. After 19 years, it was recently announced that the leftist journal Leftist magazine "Zhongliu" has resumed publication. Thin August 2001 e announcement is particularly newsworthy considering the circumstances around its cessation of publication as a consequence of its strong criticism of Jiang' Zemin's Three Represents (discussed HERE). As a self described Pan-leftist journal, it seeks to contribute to the revival of Chinese socialism in the 21st century. Whatever its self description--what has become clear is that the old era dominated by the influence of Deng Xiaoping, is not so slowly receding. It will be for the Chinese intellectual classes to catch up, and, eventually, for Western elites, to begin to reframe the way they can approach the re-invigorated leftism of Chinese Marxism--and especially its Leninism.
Some reporting about this revival follows in the original Chinese and in crude English Translation. You can decide for yourselves whether, as was reported in the second article below, "that these leftists have no influence on current Chinese politics. The Chinese Communist Party currently needs the voice of the leftists, but it does not mean that they will be allowed to sit up or lose control." I would suggest instead that in its new form, ????will serve as an important bellwether and a testing laboratory--it will serve as a controlled off site expression of internal exercises of democratic centralism that continue to tilt left.
Suspension of publication for 19 years. Leftist magazine "Zhongliu" resumes publication. Scholar: Filling the ideological vacuum and paving the way for the Twenty Great 2020/09/09 15:29
The 19-year-old leftist magazine "Zhongliu" resumed publication last month, and the new "Zhongliu Series" was the first to publish an electronic version on the WeChat public account, priced at 18 yuan.
This year is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Wei Wei, the founder of "Zhongliu". The person in charge of "Zhongliu" said that he would inherit the spirit of Wei Wei, take Marxism-Leninism-Mao thought as its purpose, and encourage and advocate Marxism, Maoist leftists, nationalism, etc. to build a dialogue platform. Provide ideological momentum for the Chinese socialist revival in the 21st century.
The first issue of "Zhongliu Series" has nearly 200 pages and published more than 20 articles, including two special topics, "Return to Marx" and "Memorial to Wei Wei". It also includes articles by New Leftist scholar Wang Hui analyzing international relations. The magazine predicts that the next issue will commemorate Lenin?s 150th birthday, as well as an article by Peking University professor Kong Qingdong.
The magazine "Zhongliu" was founded in 1988, when it followed Mao Zedong's line of thought and focused on criticizing revisionism. On July 1, 2001, the then General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Jiang Zemin further elaborated on the "Three Represents" theory at the 80th anniversary of the Communist Party of China, allowing private entrepreneurs to join the party. Wei Wei and others criticized the article as a major political error, and questioned it as surrendering to the bourgeoisie, which violated the principles of the Party Constitution. A month later, "Zhongliu" and another leftist magazine "The Pursuit of Truth" announced the suspension of publication.
"Zhongliu Series" was republished 19 years later, and focused on New Leftist and New Maoist discourses. Unlike the Maoist discourse 19 years ago, political scholar Wu Qiang pointed out that it reflects the current ideological tendency of the central government: Chinese politics is closely related to the trend of Chinese ideology. Its existence represents the theoretical position of Maoism within the party. I believe that they intend to create a more radical, fundamentalist, and newer Maoist ideological position in addition to mainstream publications."
Wu Qiang also pointed out that publications are meant to fill the current domestic ideological vacuum and solve the dilemma of China's isolation by the international community, and it is also to pave the way for the Twenty Great Wall two years later.
