China’s long and complex history unravels in Tania Branigan’s Red Memory.
Branigan reveals the buried experiences of the people who lived through the decade-long Cultural Revolution during Mao Zedong’s regime. She expressed what drove her to unearth these stories; the Cultural Revolution is not mere history but still lives actively in people’s memory.
Mao campaigned to reestablish himself after the famishing Great Leap Forward by forcing millions of young people to fight his battles for him.
Branigan gave a powerful account of the breakdown of interpersonal relationships that took place throughout. She talked of how history was a tool to bring about desired political outcomes and how this differs from the UK.
Much of the UK’s history is built on slavery, and it is not debated enough. It is easy to forget, as there are no constant reminders of the past in today’s society.
However, the Cultural Revolution intertwines a series of intimate familial and deeply personal betrayals in China’s desired political progression that plague people every day. Mao deliberately crushed the closest relationships: ‘Father and mother are dear, but Chairman Mao is dearer.’
Branigan gave an intriguing insight into Jiang Qing’s life in proximity to Mao, as his wife.
Qing produced eight political films and operas, drawing on folk art and young revolutionaries. She also put women into active roles, which was revolutionary in itself. The performances made it to rural villages that had never encountered anything like it before.
After Mao’s death, Qing quickly fell from power, reckoning that she was ‘Mao’s dog’ and that she ‘bit who he told me to bite.’
As The Guardian’s China correspondent, Branigan lived in Beijing for several years, where she first became inspired to write the book.
She talked of an eye-opening conversation over coffee where someone told her they were looking for their father’s body after the Cultural Revolution. The person responded with confusion, as there was no point with so many bodies to wade through. The casual nature of this situation represents the scale of devastation that had yet to be addressed.
Tania’s interview was captivating, and she sold her book exquisitely. The audience had a lot of questions that created some compelling conversations.
Red Memory is one of a kind, opening up the heavily censored and complex Cultural Revolution that has and still does scourge China’s people. I immediately bought the book and I highly recommend that you do the same.
Rating: ★★★★★
Red Memory was published in May 2023. Other Off The Shelf Festival events can be found here.
