Dongming County Mao Zedong Memorial Hall

　　The Dongming County Chairman Mao Memorial Hall is located in Zhukou Village, about 5 kilometers northeast of the county town. It sits to the north against the mighty, east-flowing Yellow River and faces the Rihuang Expressway, which runs through the land of Qilu, making it another splendid cultural landmark in Dongming County, the hometown of Zhuangzi.

　　 I. Background and Construction

　　 The Dongming County Chairman Mao Memorial Hall was personally funded and built by She Shicheng, a villager from Zhukou Village in Chengguan Town, starting in 2003 and officially completed in August 2008. Why did She Shicheng devote all his resources to building the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall? Born in September 1944 in Shégang Village, Wusheng Township, She Shicheng’s family, including three generations before his father, lived in poverty in the old society, surviving by begging and working as tenant farmers (as long-term laborers) for a wealthy family in the neighboring Zhukou Village. They endured great hardship before moving to Zhukou Village. It was Chairman Mao who led the people to liberation and gave them land and a better life. Having lived through two different societies, She Shicheng deeply felt that without Chairman Mao, he would not have the life he has today. Therefore, from a young age, he kept the Party and Chairman Mao close to his heart.

　　 In his early years, She Shicheng learned carpentry and worked in construction, becoming a well-known local building expert. Especially after the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, like many villagers, he gradually became prosperous. The development of society and the tremendous improvement in people’s lives made him realize even more deeply: without Chairman Mao overthrowing the Three Mountains and laying the foundation, there would be no happy life today. Don’t forget the well-digger when drinking water. Gratitude is a unique traditional virtue of the Chinese people, and even more so, a defining trait of She Shicheng, an honest farmer. So, how to honor Chairman Mao and pass on the reverence for him to future generations became a question he often pondered. After decades of contemplation, he decided to express his admiration for the great man in a traditional way. To celebrate Chairman Mao’s achievements and commemorate his benevolence, on February 16, 2004, he raised funds, demolished his own house to free up space, designed the structure himself, and built a Mao Monument Pavilion on his residential land for villagers to pay their respects. Soon after, he began preparations with fellow villager Zhu Faqi and others to establish the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, forming a preparatory committee led by him with ten other villagers. She Shicheng invested all his personal savings, first contributing one mu and seven fen of his contracted farmland, then negotiating overnight with fellow villagers to exchange another one mu and seven fen of his farmland for one mu and eight fen of a villager’s low-lying land, borrowing money to compensate the other party 8,000 yuan in cash, totaling three mu and five fen of land for the memorial site. He personally designed the project, which broke ground on August 1, 2007, and was completed in one year. The main building covers an area of 220 square meters and stands 83.41 meters high (symbolizing Chairman Mao’s 83 years of life and 41 years in leadership), with the main hall 49 meters high (symbolizing the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949), and the front eaves of the memorial 71 centimeters high (symbolizing the founding of the Communist Party of China on July 1, 1921). The project also includes the second and third floors and both side corridors, with a total construction cost of over 710,000 yuan. Of this, She Shicheng contributed more than 460,000 yuan, and nearby residents raised around 250,000 yuan. Because of the construction of the memorial, his original house was entirely demolished, and he and his wife still live in a temporary shed built at the southwest corner of the memorial. With all their contracted farmland converted into the memorial site, the family has no income and relies on support from their daughter and two sons.

　　 After completion, the memorial became the only privately funded memorial tourism site in China. On December 17, 2008, at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, Mao Xinyu and Liu Bin (grandson and granddaughter-in-law of Chairman Mao), Mao Ningke (grandson of Mao Minmin), and Mao Xiaoqing (granddaughter of Mao Zilian) had a cordial meeting and conversation with Comrade She Shicheng, and journalists from 18 Chinese news media conducted on-site interviews.

　　 II. Current Layout

　　 Upon entering the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, the first thing you see is the former “Mao Monument Pavilion,” now renamed as the memorial pavilion, housing a more than one-meter-tall golden full-body bronze statue of Chairman Mao, lifelike and resplendent. In front of the pavilion, the Five-Star Red Flag flutters in the wind, surrounded by evergreen pine trees and holly.

　　Entering the exhibition hall, the most eye-catching feature is the 2.83-meter-tall golden full-body bronze statue of Chairman Mao (created by the renowned Chinese master sculptor Liu Kaiqu and cast by Hunan Shaoshan Xuri Hall Bronze Statue Casting Co., Ltd.), standing prominently in the center of the first-floor hall, with the majestic Great Wall depicted in the background. On the second floor, in the center of the hall, a half-body golden bronze statue of Chairman Mao is enshrined in front of a large printed image of the “Guest-Greeting Pine.” The entire exhibition hall is divided into nine sections: Leaving Hometown, Founding a New Era, Land Revolution, War of Resistance Against Japan, War of Liberation, Dream of a Strong Nation, Looking at the World, Poet’s Sentiment, and Later Years. On the two long corridors on either side of the memorial, there are excerpts from General Secretary Xi Jinping’s speech at the 110th Anniversary Commemoration of Chairman Mao, the preface of the memorial, and calligraphy works of Chairman Mao’s poems by famous calligraphers, arranged thoughtfully and impressively.

　　 III. Regular Activities

　　 Since its completion, the memorial has attracted visitors from all over every day. Especially on December 26, Chairman Mao’s birthday, grand commemorative activities are held, which have taken place four times in a row. These events are hosted by the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall Management Committee and feature 3–4 days of performances by professional theater troupes. On the opening day, local yangge dance teams, flower-drum teams, tai chi groups, and martial arts teams also perform, creating a lively atmosphere.

　　 Each event draws crowds of local residents who come as if celebrating a festival, arriving early in the morning to pay tribute to Chairman Mao and reflect on his great legacy, with massive turnouts. Villagers from the local area flock to the site nonstop upon hearing the news.

　　Mao Zedong (1893~1976)　　Mao Zedong (December 26, 1893 – September 9, 1976), courtesy name Runzhi (originally Yongzhi, later changed to Runzhi), pen name Ziren. A native of Xiangtan, Hunan, he was the leader of the Chinese people, a Marxist, a great proletarian revolutionary, strategist, and theorist, the principal founder and leader of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and the People's Republic of China, as well as a poet and calligrapher. From 1949 to 1976, Mao Zedong served as the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China. His contributions to the development of Marxism-Leninism, military theory, and the theoretical foundations of the Communist Party are collectively known as Mao Zedong Thought. Because Mao... More+