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CPC100 - Mao Zedong Badge Memorial: 300 badges passed down from hand to hand


27 May 2021 | By Zu Pengpeng, Li Jiarui | Songjiang News

  • Wu Jiandong, the manager of the memorial

    Photos by Zu Pengpeng, Li Jiarui

  • The Mao Zedong Badge Memorial

    Photos by Zu Pengpeng, Li Jiarui

  • Mao Zedong badges on display in the memorial

    Photos by Zu Pengpeng, Li Jiarui

  • Mao Zedong badges on display in the memorial

    Photos by Zu Pengpeng, Li Jiarui

  • Old photos of Mao and other important Chinese political figures

    Photos by Zu Pengpeng, Li Jiarui

  • The inner hall of the Mao Zedong Badge Memorial

    Photos by Zu Pengpeng, Li Jiarui

W

ith his black cap pulled down against the drizzle, Wu Jiandong hurried along the quiet country road towards the two-storey red brick house of the Mao Zedong Badge Memorial to get things ready before the first visitors arrived.

After 12 years in charge, Wu Jiandong, manager of the Mao Zedong Badge Memorial, is familiar with this work routine. Located in Nanyang Village in the southwestern suburbs of Shanghai, the Mao Zedong Badge Memorial opened in 2010. It houses a private collection of more than 300 Mao Zedong badges together with 700 photos of Mao and other important Chinese political figures. All the exhibits have been passed down through the Wu family, from his uncle to Wu Jiandong.

A standard Mao badge is 1-3cm in diameter, red in color and features an embossed image of the side profile of China’s first chairman, Mao Zedong. The badge can be pinned to shirtfronts. Made in various materials ranging from gold to wood, the badges were made either to celebrate historical events such as the completion of the Nanjing Bridge, or to simply show gratitude to Chairman Mao.

The first Mao Zedong badge appeared in 1932, but it was until the 1960s that they became really popular.

Gao Shuyun, 65, said, “In the 1960s, I was a teenage girl when nearly everybody was wearing Mao Zedong badges. My aunt gave me a cute bronze one and I got envious stares from girls for weeks.”

The badges used to be all the rage with 94 percent of the population wearing one in 1969, but the fervour dwindled because the government called for saving metal for construction. People shifted from wearing them to collecting them. Nowadays, most of them can only be seen in memorials and museums.

The Mao Zedong Badge Memorial is one of them. Wu Jiandong has voluntarily run this private collection as its manager, tour guide and receptionist for 12 years, and has kept it open to the public. “It takes a lot of time and passion to do this single-handedly,” he said.

The founder of the Mao Zedong Badge Memorial was Wu Jiandong’s uncle, Wu Renjie. “My uncle started the collection when he was 16,” Wu Jiandong explained. “He liked Chairman Mao items and the collection of badges and photos began to accumulate. It continued to grow over the succeeding decades.” Wu Renjie used to head the Shanghai Office of the Hope Project, raising funds to keep children from poor families in school.

Wu Renjie, 73, still considers himself “a soldier fighting alongside Chairman Mao.” By founding the Mao Zedong Badge Memorial with his nephew, he hopes that the next generation will be inspired by Mao’s lifelong dedication to the wellbeing of the people.

With more than 70,000 visitors since the memorial’s opening, Wu Renjie’s goal is marching towards recognition.

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Press Contact

SISU News Center, Office of Communications and Public Affairs

Tel : +86 (21) 3537 2378

Email : news@shisu.edu.cn

Address :550 Dalian Road (W), Shanghai 200083, China

Further Reading