Why Are Chinese Youth Drawing Inspiration from Mao Zedong 50 Years After His Death?
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“There have been many great figures, but only one teacher.”
Chinese youth are increasingly portraying the late Mao Zedong online these days as their continual ‘teacher.’
On the video platform Bilibili, searching for “Mao Zedong” or “Teacher” yields dozens of compilations featuring clips from movies and dramas.
These videos highlight moments from Mao’s youth, his role as a military commander, and leadership during the Cold War tensions between China, the United States, and the Soviet Union.
Many have been viewed by millions, with thousands of comments praising him with messages like “Long live the great man.”
Most Bilibili users are young people, with about 60% aged between 18 and 24.
A Different Mao
As one of the most influential political figures of 20th-century China, Mao led the Communist Party and the nation from the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949 until his death in 1976.
He launched campaigns like the ‘Great Leap Forward’ and the Cultural Revolution, reshaping China’s economy and society at the cost of millions of lives.
Among the youths influenced by Mao is Dong, a student preparing to start at Nanjing University. A recently viral video showing two young women singing patriotic songs in front of a massive statue of Mao in Orange Isle, Changsha, moved him deeply.
“They sang wholeheartedly. The statue was huge, and he looked young. Watching it moved me,” Dong recalled.
Dong’s classmates actively participate in online communities called the ‘Keyboard Political Circle’ that discuss contemporary issues.
Another sign of this trend is the surge since 2019 in the reading of Mao’s selected works at Tsinghua University’s library, which is expected to continue through 2025.
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The youth’s interest in Mao differs significantly from that of their parents’ generation, who grew up hearing official narratives.
In 1981, under Deng Xiaoping’s leadership, the Chinese Communist Party officially adopted a balanced appraisal of Mao: recognizing both his accomplishments and mistakes, attributing “70% achievements, 30% mistakes.”
During Deng and Jiang Zemin’s terms, Mao’s images were gradually removed from rail stations, public spaces, and classrooms.
Mao began to be viewed not as a deity but as a historical figure with human limitations.
Deng symbolized the new economic era, driving market reforms and opening China to the world.
Yet for many Chinese youth today, Mao resonates anew. While some, like Dong, might rarely mention Mao’s name, they address him respectfully as ‘Teacher.’
Photo credit, History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
This title traces back to Mao’s reported remark during a 1970 meeting with American journalist Edgar Snow. Disliking grandiose labels like ‘the Four Greats’ bestowed upon him, Mao said, “Now only one remains… Teacher. Because I am always a teacher.”
Dong and his peers openly discuss Mao but feel constrained when it comes to the current Chinese leader, Xi Jinping. Dong notes, “That’s not a subject for open discussion.”
A study by the China Studies Marketer Institute explains that while some public debate appears on Chinese online platforms, topics related to top leadership are often removed.
The research attributes this ‘weak public discourse environment’ to both censorship and self-censorship.
“Not Just Remembrance of the Past”
Some experts suggest that young people’s interest in Mao reflects concerns about social issues such as wealth inequality and limited social mobility.
Florian Schneider, a professor at Leiden University who studies the political culture of Chinese youth, notes today’s young generation faces a reality vastly different from that of their elders.
While their parents witnessed economic growth improving living standards for all, today’s youth feel distant from the promises of reforms by Deng.
According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics, by July 2026, urban unemployment among unskilled youths aged 16 to 24 had hit 17.9%, the highest in three years.
New terms have entered youth vocabulary, like “996,” which denotes working six days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Many young people have become disillusioned and desire to avoid the brutal competition called ‘involution,’ where one must exert extraordinary effort just to maintain their position.
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Against this backdrop, Mao’s critiques of capitalism have regained relevance among some young people.
Schneider explains that some use Mao’s ideas to express dissatisfaction with ‘state capture by capital,’ while others view him as a guide for navigating life’s contradictions.
Dong remarked, “Our generation was told from childhood that hard work leads to success, but when I grew up, I realized jobs are hard to get and owning a home is out of reach.”
He appreciates Mao’s straightforward language, which clearly divides society into oppressors and the oppressed.
“He made it clear who the oppressors and the oppressed are. This simple framework is easier to understand than complex economic jargon.”
Schneider notes, “Mao’s revival isn’t simply about recalling the past; it reflects youths’ attempts to articulate their experiences of inequality and insecurity in historical terms.”
Political Energy
The Chinese Communist Party’s official evaluation of Mao remains anchored in the 1981 resolution, emphasizing his primary achievements and secondary mistakes.
The Party’s third historical resolution passed in 2021 places the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” at its core.
It frames Mao’s revolution as the phase in which China rose, established the People’s Republic, defended national sovereignty, and laid the foundations for national rejuvenation.
Thus, Mao is depicted not only as a historical figure but as one of the foundational sources of China’s contemporary national power.
Photo credit, AFP via Getty Images
“The revival of Maoism today can be partly attributed to the Party’s educational policies. Many young people imagine Mao’s China as one where the great leader is an undisputed hero,” Schneider explains.
He also points out that many youths are unfamiliar with the devastating sides of the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution or do not fully understand Mao’s real role, which contributes to their admiration.
Schneider remarks, “Such reverence for Mao carries far more political weight than it might immediately appear.”
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