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At the height of Maoism, starting in the summer of 1966, China was as closed off as present-day North Korea. But even at that time, some Western foreigners lived in the country. Gudrun Alber, a today 67-year-old Austrian lady, and Briton Paul Crook are two of just a handful Westerners to grow up inside Mao’s China. Starting in 1966, they witnessed the upheaval of the Cultural Revolution. As language teachers, translators, or even student 'red guards' they experienced first-hand the atrocities. Some like Paul Crook experienced open hostilities or have to go to jail as alleged spies. Others like Gudrun Alber became part of the movement itself.
When China ended its isolation in the early 1970s, Alber, Crook and most Westerners were more than happy when they were finally allowed to leave the country: Only to find their peers in Europe cheering for the very dictator they had just fled. Mao's little red book and iconic image was ubiquitous at university campuses from Frankfurt to London. For many here, China was the land of dreams, where workers and peasants are supposed to have taken fate in their own hands and freed themselves of suppression. As soon as China opened its borders, Western Maoists like Reinhard Bütikofer, who is a Member of the European Parliament today, or Daniele Palau, a former French activist, were the first to journey to China to enjoy ‚revolutionary tours’. While they marveled at what they believed were the achievements of the Cultural Revolution, some of them also struggled to try to bring their revolutionary ideals in line with Chinese reality.
Of all Westerners to witness Mao’s China, reporters from Europe’s socialist states like ADN-photographer Christine Eckleben had surprisingly the most objective view of this country in turmoil. Despite the conflicts between socialist countries, they were tolerated in China, even at the height of the upheaval. Like few others they were able to observe political developments and discern the “great proletarian revolution” for what it really was: a power struggle amongst party factions, that ultimately drew in all tiers of society and bringing normal life to a stand still.
The legacy of Mao and the Cultural Revolution are still a burden for China until today. During that time children betrayed their parents and victims still live alongside perpetrators. There is no culture of coming to terms with the past and if someone is poking around too much in old wounds, he must expect harassment and disadvantages at work for himself and his family.
“Inside Mao’s China” tells for the first time about this period of recent Chinese history from the perspective of the small number of Western eyewitnesses, who were there at the time. These venturers between cultures and political systems are among the few who have experienced the Cultural Revolution from the inside and are able to share their experiences without fear. Nevertheless, until now they had preferred to remain silent.
The personal stories and experiences of our protagonists combined with rare historical footage and personal photos, offer a unique perspective on the time of the Chinese Cultural Revolution as well as on the 68 movements idolization of Mao as a harbinger of a utopian society.
