The return of the Celebrity Sun Sign Series: Mao Zedong

The communist legacy of Mao Zedong... or how to trim your beard in installments

It's been a few months since I posted about someone for the Celebrity Sun Sign Series here. We're still in the sign of Capricorn (we actually just had a partial solar eclipse yesterday in the sign of Capricorn, which generally indicates a time of new ventures and building new structures within the framework of Capricorn (career, resources, the earth and practical matters, professional life, etc.) We discussed a little about Capricorn during the creation of the unfortunately Robitussin-esque gruit ale, but just to overview the energies of Capricorn again:

Capricorn is associated with winter, and (for the Northern Hemisphere at least) the period in which the sun's warmth and light are farthest away. This is a strong archetypal description of Capricorn, with it's practicality, no-frills earthiness and professionalism. It is a sign associated with ambition and responsibility, of doing what needs to be done with tenacity that often borders upon stubbornness and coldness. This description fits well with an infamous but perhaps poorly understood social revolutionary- Mao Zedong.

Mao Zedong, like Che Guevara, has an instantly recognizable face- but thankfully one that is not so readily available on kids' t-shirts at your local Hot Topic (an agonizing issue I don't even want to get started on). You may recognize his giant visage hanging up in Tienanmen Square:

A sense of conflict between China and the Imperialist West first came to a strong peak in the Opium Wars of the mid 1800's, the same time period that Neptune was discovered and moved into Pisces, a period in which Opium drama such as that in China increased. Trade disputes involving the Opium trade (which the Qing Dynasty sought to prohibit) eventually led to two wars, both of which China lost. In the wake of the first of these wars, Britain took control of Hong Kong and gained new trade rights, along with charging the Qing Dynasty millions of dollars in reparations. This, along with the second opium war, destabilized the Qing Dynasty, and contributed to its collapse in 1912 when Mao Zedong was a young man. Mao Zedong grew up in a poor peasant family in Hunan province, though his father eventually gained more financial security as a grain dealer. His heritage is fitting as a Capricorn, in that his climb up the hill of success did not begin as easily as it could, and indeed his long struggle to achieve success would require tenacity in the face of hardship.

Mao graduated from school in Hunan, and attended Peking University, where he was introduced to the Communist Party of China. In his earthy, Capricornian practicality, Mao was concerned with labor struggles and the issues of land and resources in the powerfully disparate landscape of feudal, imperial China. Capricorn, as a Cardinal sign, adds an element of assertion where fixed and mutable signs may be more passive. Mao was adamant that radical revolution was necessary for the people of China.

"Revolution is not a dinner party, nor an essay, nor a painting, nor a piece of embroidery; it cannot be advanced softly, gradually, carefully, considerately, respectfully, politely, plainly, and modestly. A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another."

– Mao Zedong

This quote may sound more like the stereotypical Aries energy of "Shoot first, ask questions later" than the reservation and conservative nature associated with Capricorn. However, this strong statement shows Mao Zedong's commitment to action without compromise, his determination to build the structure of a new government. His conservative nature is evident in his fun-free determination to achieve. And achieve he did...

Mao and the Communist Party of China began to expand in the 30's and 40's, and soviet strength grew in China. The US- backed president of China at the time, Chiang Kai-Shek, and the Kuomintang (the party in power at the time) began to forcefully resist this growing communist strength. Eventually, however, Chiang Kai-Shek and the government forces were defeated, and he retreated to Taiwan. In 1949, Mao Zedong became Chairman Mao of the newly formed People's Republic of China.

The ambition and professional achievement of Capricorn can sometimes lead to a sense of coldness or lack of emotion. This analysis may be a good description for the following period of Mao Zedong's leadership. Following the establishment of the PRC, Mao Zedong implemented sweeping land reforms, executing wealthy land-owners as examples and redistributing lands to the poor. In addition, former officials of the Kuomintang as well as many intellectuals and former employees of western companies were killed. An estimated MILLION people were killed in the land reforms, 800,000 in the "Campaign to Suppress Counterrevolutionaries".

Mao further attempted to keep an iron fist on insurgency through his "Anti-3/Anti-5 Campaign", in which people were encourage to root out anyone suspected of political dissent. He also put down the Kuomintang Islamic Insurgency in 1953, an attempt by former members of Chiang Kai-Shek's government to lead Muslim Chinese against the Communists. Mao Zedong tolerated none of this. In his characteristic no-frills style, he also during this time implemented a new Simplified Character Chinese alphabet that reduced the number of strokes and details in written Chinese in an attempt to increase literacy. Through help from the Soviet Union, the PRC established heavier industrial development. Shortly thereafter, Mao Zedong implemented what is perhaps his most infamous program- the sadly ironic "Great Leap Forward".

In opposition to the more heavily industrial economy of Soviet Russia that many of his comrades supported, Mao foresaw an economy based on agricultural strength as well. To implement this, he formed "People's Communes", basically consolidating the disparate rural agriculture of China and forcing peasants to contribute to these, as well as small-scale metal production. Several factors combined in this instance- the use of new unscientific agricultural systems in the communes, reduced incentives for individuals, and the culture of fear of being "purged" for dissent amongst officials in the party. This combination lead to a drop in grain production while at the same time scared party members exaggerated the quantity of grain being produced in different areas, leading to a larger proportion being taken from rural areas and allotted to urban areas and export. No food was left, and between 1959 and 1962, 30 MILLION PEOPLE STARVED. It was the largest famine in human history. Imagine if the Jewish Holocaust happened 5 times in a row. Historians disagree as to whether or not Chairman Mao knew about these circumstances...

Mao Zedong died in 1976, ending a very uncomfortable few decades of rapid change, seen by some as very positive and others as very negative. In any case, China would never be the same again.

Mao Zedong also developed a bit of an odd "Personality Cult". People began to put his picture everywhere, carry a book of quotations by him, etc. In some ways, he is viewed with an aura of superhuman power. The cool, confident air of godliness is, perhaps, a trait shared by many of the more well-known Capricorns, such as Elvis, Cary Grant, or (perplexingly) Rush Limbaugh. While I feel I can say without political bias that spewing unmitigated hate on the air is disgusting, Rush Limbaugh is loved by many, much as these other famous people, or Mao Zedong himself. Being good or bad doesn't necessarily dictate either success OR how much one is adored. Capricorn is a sign that can achieve, good or bad. Whatever it may be, Capricorn gets it done. Period.

Fun times with Chairman Mao! Hope you guys enjoyed this post- look forward to another post soon about Neptune and Oil.