Mao Zedong Badge Exhibition Hall

Mao Zedong Badge Exhibition Hall

The Mao Zedong Badge Exhibition Hall is a classic red tourism attraction.

The Mao Zedong Badge Exhibition Hall covers a construction area of 3,000 square meters, making it the largest, most numerous, and most comprehensive (90% unique) permanent exhibition venue for Chairman Mao badges both in China and abroad to date. It displays over 100,000 badges in more than 2,000 varieties, and includes a badge display area, document area, film and video area, as well as a comprehensive service area, comprehensively showcasing this unique cultural phenomenon in modern Chinese history—Mao Zedong badges.

As the founding father of New China and a great leader of his generation, Mao Zedong wrote a glorious chapter in the annals of Chinese history. Mao Zedong badges, as unique historical and cultural artifacts, carry rich historical, artistic, and collectible value. From their earliest appearance in 1945 to the centennial celebration of Mao Zedong’s birth in 1993, the badges became a remarkable cultural phenomenon in modern Chinese history due to their vast variety, enormous quantity, and widespread popularity, even earning the title “The Ninth Wonder of the World.”

The over 80,000 varieties of badges displayed in the exhibition hall were carefully selected by Mr. Chen De, a Mao Zedong badge collector from Dandong, Liaoning, from his collection of over 100,000 badges (for which he has applied for a Guinness World Record). They are arranged in chronological historical order: from Mao Zedong’s birth in Shaoshan in 1893 and the establishment of the revolutionary base at Jinggangshan, to the Long March of 25,000 li, the red government in Yan’an, the founding ceremony of the People’s Republic, the Korean War, and up to the centennial celebration of his birth. The badges come in various types including paired badges, sets, thematic badges, and series, and are made from ordinary materials such as gold, silver, copper, iron, and porcelain, as well as special materials like wood, bamboo, sponge, glass, and luminous materials (a total of 35 different materials are used in the badges on display). In terms of craftsmanship, they feature traditional hand-carving (the museum displays the only known hand-carved bone badge in China), as well as techniques involving three-color flat printing that still demonstrate a certain level of technological sophistication today. The sizes range from as small as 8 millimeters to as large as 38 centimeters, and the shapes vary from round, square, gear-shaped, to heart-shaped. The backgrounds of the badges include red quotations, the slogan “Serve the People,” model operas, sports themes, and commemorations of the atomic bomb launch. The exhibition hall also features stunning displays such as slogans composed of hundreds or thousands of badges like “The East is Red, the Sun Rises” and “Learn from Lei Feng, the Good Example,” as well as a massive slogan made of 20,000 badges reading “The East is Red, the Sun Rises.” Other impressive sights include Chairman Mao’s quotes like “Study hard and make progress every day,” as well as formations of the Great Wall, the national flag, and the five-star emblem.

In addition to badges, the hall also houses various styles of memorabilia such as Mao Zedong sculptures, framed portraits, calligraphy in Mao’s style, collections of revolutionary songs, big-character posters, and red armbands. Visitors to this historical and cultural site and patriotic education base can pay tribute to the great leader and relive the fervor of those “fiery years.”