Mao Zedong read Water Margin

Author: Dong Zhixin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: China has three famous novels: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, and Dream of the Red Chamber. No one can consider themselves a true Chinese without reading these three novels. Water Margin is full of examples of materialist dialectics, and the three attacks on Zhu's Village is one of the best. Nie Rongzhen is the new Lu Zhishen, Xu Shifou is indeed the "hero who fights tigers," and the "Lü Dongbin-style officials" in the Red Army. Water Margin almost accompanied the life of the professional revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, and the entire revolutionary career of Mao Zedong was greatly influenced by Water Margin. Mao Zedong loved and understood Water Margin well. This legendary novel depicting the rebellion of ancient martial arts heroes deeply resonated with his spiritual forging, will tempering, and character choices. He also allowed this novel reflecting ancient peasant revolutions to play the greatest role in modern revolutions. Mao Zedong Reads Water Margin revolves around the theme of Mao Zedong and the spirit of Water Margin, comprehensively collecting and introducing in detail the special materials on Mao Zedong's reading, appreciation, commentary, and application of Water Margin. It carefully analyzes Mao Zedong's unique and unconventional reading experience, specifically revealing the spiritual connotations of ancient revolutionary rebels that he extracted from the heroes of Liangshan. Mao Zedong deeply explored and carefully absorbed the rebellious spirit, democratic spirit, egalitarian spirit, fighting spirit, and "fighting tigers" spirit of the Liangshan heroes; he gave original and enlightening interpretations of their politics and policies, courage and strategy, strategy and tactics, and skillfully transformed these insights into material forces of daring and skilled struggle in revolutionary practice. At the same time, Mao Zedong unambiguously pointed out the shortcomings and mistakes of the Liangshan heroes in terms of their mental state and struggle strategies, serving as a lesson for revolution. This book is divided into four units: The first unit is Mao Zedong's reading of the text of Water Margin, his comments on the novel's author and critics, and his attention to the versions of Water Margin; the second unit is Mao Zedong's refinement, elaboration, and application of the revolutionary spirit, struggle art, and experience of the Liangshan heroes; the third unit is Mao Zedong's satirical remarks, analysis, and citations of the characters in the novel; the fourth unit is Mao Zedong's rebuttal of misunderstandings in his interpretation and application of Water Margin in political life, as well as his analysis of the "Commentary on Water Margin" movement he launched in his later years. In short, this book presents the entire situation and fresh experience of a revolutionary leader interpreting the classic literary masterpiece Water Margin to the readers.