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MAOMZ8 Mao Zedong: MAO ZHUXI CI: LIU TI DA KAI TIE. (Rubbing of Two Lyric Poems by Chairman Mao: Large Regular Script in the Style of Liu Gongquan). 毛主席词 ： 柳体大楷帖。蘇州刻石。一九六五年元旦. (Suzhou), 1965. 6 folded leaves containing 12 pages of original b/w rubbings. 23x15 cm. Stitched. GBP 2,000.00 An extremely rare and extraordinary item. An original ink rubbing from a "stone carved in 1965". The rubbing has been cut, folded and prepared for publication in what would undoubtedly have been a very small, traditional edition, given the effort involved in making rubbings. The text is of two famous lyrics or 'ci' by Chairman Mao which were carved in characters based on the style of the late Tang dynasty Chinese calligrapher, Liu Gongquan (778-865). The first poem is 'Beidaihe' (1954), the second 'Swimming' composed after Mao's famous first swim in the Yangtze river in 1956. This item epitomises the cultural contradictions of post-liberation China. Its Glorious Leader wrote traditional poetry and, just before the 'Four Olds' were about to be swept away with the onset of the Cultural Revolution, quasi-sacred artifacts like this were still being produced according to 'ancient' traditional practices in Suzhou (where the stone was carved). Suzhou has long been one of the prime centres of elitist Chinese culture, a literati centre for centuries. There is a certain irony to its date of production, the first day (yuan dan) of the Chinese New Year in 1965, a time when Mao was cynically plotting the Cultural Revolution to regain his hold over party and people following his disastrous Great Leap Forward. This work embodies the cultural, political and propaganda contradictions and complexities of the time. Essays could be written about it. The work is also ironic as, despite it being Mao's poetry, it is impossible to imagine that such a stone could have been carved and rubbings taken from it once the Cultural Revolution had started without the direct approval of Mao himself as rubbings epitomise the Old culture. It is also interesting to speculate for whom such a work would have been made. In one sense it demonstrates the growing cult of Mao at the tie. However, given the effort and time taken in the creation of a single copy, this is a very high-quality item and, given its undoubtedly very limited production, those few examples produced would probably have been for official presentation at a high level. All text in Chinese. In very good condition, especially considering its delicacy. Subjects: Poetry Mao Zedong Item 33 in List 209. URL for this record: hanshan.com/?m/MAOMZ8.HTM Record produced by Hanshan Tang Books, www.hanshan.com. |  |