Four decades have passed since the death of Mao Tse-tung.
The Cultural Revolution was coming to an end but it was still harmful and dangerous. Different factions of the Communist Party were manoeuvring under cover waiting for the eminent decease of Mao Tse-tung. On one side, his wife Jiang Qing and her followers, supported by the Red Guards, were resilient against any intent to open up to the outside world; on the other side, Shou EnLai had succeeded inviting Richard Nixon to China. His visit greatly contributed to open the country to limited tourism, after more that two decades of total isolation. This was the backdrop when in august 1975, I toured China during 17 days, starting in Canton and ending in Peking.
I was avid of adventure both physical and intellectual. My passion for history, architecture, art and opera made me look forward to visiting historic buildings, temples, unique sites and theatres infused with the glorious past of one of the oldest civilizations.
These were my expectations. My trip could not have been more different. Only the Little Red Book, where Mao embodied the essential of his philosophy using his own quotes, passed the reality check: it was really red!
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