50 years after his death, Mao still shapes China

What it is about

Who published it, and when

How it spread - 20 original reports

1. Fri, 4 September 2026

   1 report
   • Novinky (Czechia)12:58
     Komunistický vůdce Mao Ce-tung, jehož experimenty připravily o život desítky milionů Číňanů

     Před padesáti lety se Čína zahalila do smutku. Po vleklých zdravotních problémech zemřel 9. září 1976 v nedožitých třiaosmdesáti letech její vůdce Mao Ce-tung, který stál u zrodu Čínské lidové republiky a více než čtvrt století určoval její směřování.

2. Tue, 8 September 2026

   2 reports
   • DW Top Stories14:44first to report
     Fifty years after Mao’s death, China has transformed. DW looks at why his political legacy still matters.

     Mao Zedong was perhaps the most influential, and certainly one of the most controversial, figures in 20th-century China. Even five decades after his death, the legacy of his era continues to influence China today.

   • DW Top Stories14:44
     50 years after his death, Mao still shapes China

     Mao Zedong was perhaps the most influential, and certainly one of the most controversial, figures in 20th-century China. Even five decades after his death, the legacy of his era continues to influence China today.

3. Wed, 9 September 2026

   9 reports
   • Le Monde (France)02:00
     Mao, l’héritage encombrant du fondateur de la Chine communiste

     Cinquante ans après la mort de Mao Zedong, comment la Chine gère-t-elle l’héritage ambivalent de cet ancien dirigeant ? Réponse dans ce podcast avec Harold Thibault, correspondant du « Monde » en Chine.

   • South China Morning Post02:00
     Young Chinese turn to Mao Zedong for life advice, 50 years after his death

     When you are denied a pay rise, when you feel anxious about your children’s education, or when you are alienated by colleagues, Chairman Mao can help. At least, that is what China’s online influencers and their hundreds of thousands of followers believe. Wednesday marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Mao Zedong, founding father of the People’s Republic of China. Chinese authorities have not announced any plans to mark the date, as former state leaders are usually commemorated on the...

   • El País (Spain)03:40edited after publishing
     Los jóvenes chinos buscan respuestas en Mao Zedong, medio siglo después de su muerte

     El ‘Gran Timonel’ genera interés entre una generación que no vivió durante su mandato, mientras el Partido Comunista refuerza un relato histórico que diluye sus errores para apuntalar su legitimidad

   • Index.hr (Croatia)09:07
     U Kini se i dalje slavi Mao. Na 50. godišnjicu smrti stigle tisuće štovatelja

     PRISTAŠE u Shaoshanu obilježili su 50. godišnjicu smrti Mao Zedonga, odajući počast utemeljitelju Kine uz snažnu nostalgiju za njegovim idealima.

   • Le Figaro (France)11:10
     En Chine, une foule commémore les cinquante ans de la mort de Mao Zedong

     Ce mercredi, une foule commémore sur la place de Shaoshan les cinquante ans de la mort du dictateur communiste Mao. Cette figure du parti communiste chinois demeure pour beaucoup un héros de la révolution chinoise.

   • El Pais English13:27
     Young Chinese seek answers in Mao Zedong, half a century after his death

     The Great Helmsman sparks interest among a generation that did not live through his rule, while the Communist Party reinforces a historical narrative that dilutes his errors to bolster its legitimacy

   • Die Zeit (Germany)14:34
     Mao Zedong: Jubel für den Großen Vorsitzenden

     Vor 50 Jahren starb Mao Zedong, Gründer der Volksrepublik China. Er ist für gut 50 Millionen Tote verantwortlich, dennoch erinnert man sich heute voller Milde an ihn.

   • Le Monde English17:00
     Fifty years after Mao's death, China still grapples with his legacy

     'Mao's Fraught Legacy' (1/7). Mao Zedong, who died on September 9, 1976, founded the People's Republic of China and still casts a shadow over the country's political life. The Chinese Communist Party, whose power base Mao established, remains divided between loyalty to his myth and condemnation of his 'mistakes,' which led to the deaths of tens of millions of people.

   • Le Monde (France)17:00
     Dans les parcs de Pékin, une génération chante toujours à la gloire de Mao

     « Mao, l’encombrant héritage » (4/7). Témoins de la Révolution culturelle, voire du Grand Bond en avant, de nombreux retraités se retrouvent dans les parcs. A travers leurs chants, ils font revivre une époque, même si la plupart préfèrent ne pas transmettre ce vécu douloureux à leurs descendants.

4. Fri, 11 September 2026

   2 reports
   • Le Monde (France)17:00
     Les terres d’origines de Mao, à Shaoshan, haut lieu du « tourisme rouge » : « C’est une sorte de voyage d’études valorisant pour mon parcours »

     « Mao, l’encombrant héritage » (6/7). Le village natal de Mao Zedong est vite devenu un site mémoriel. Douze millions de Chinois, des écoliers aux retraités, viennent chaque année s’y recueillir, apprendre l’histoire du Parti ou simplement se distraire.

   • Le Monde English17:30
     China's former Red Guards reflect on their responsibility and regret: 'We were deceived'

     'Mao's Fraught Legacy' (3/7). Seeking to restore his challenged legitimacy, Mao Zedong called for a Cultural Revolution in 1966. The leader of the Chinese Communist Party relied on young people, unleashing a wave of violence to suppress all opposition. Some Red Guards later said they felt manipulated.

5. Sun, 13 September 2026

   2 reports
   • South China Morning Post03:15
     Hong Kong mourns Mao Zedong’s death in 1976 – SCMP archive

     This article was first published on September 10, 1976. Sense of grief in Hongkong A deep sense of grief was felt by great numbers of the people in Hongkong yesterday (September 9, 1976) when radio and television stations flashed the news of the Chairman’s passing. The news brought a cloud of gloom over celebrations of the mid-autumn festivities. Flags at a number of major building and hotels, – including the Bank of China – were flown at half-mast within an hour of the announcement. Hongkong...

   • Tagesschau (Germany)11:24
     China 50 Jahre nach Maos Tod: Immer noch untersteht alles der Partei

     50 Jahre nach dem Tod von Chinas Staatsgründer Mao Zedong ist die Volksrepublik ein kapitalistisches Land - seine Metropolen sind geprägt von Malls und Wolkenkratzern. Und doch kontrolliert die Kommunistische Partei weiterhin alles. Von Eva Lamby-Schmitt.

6. Mon, 14 September 2026

   1 report
   • Le Monde English17:00
     In Beijing's parks, a generation still sings Mao's praises

     'Mao's Fraught Legacy' (4/7). Retirees who witnessed the Cultural Revolution and the Great Leap Forward meet in parks. Through their songs, they bring an era back to life, even though most prefer not to pass on those painful experiences to their descendants.

7. Thu, 17 September 2026

   2 reports
   • Le Monde English02:00
     Mass surveillance and self-sufficiency: How China's leadership is reviving Mao's old principles

     'Mao's Fraught Legacy' (5/7). In 1963, Mao Zedong made the village of Fengqiao an example of how to encourage mass mobilization and resolve conflicts locally. Under Xi Jinping, the experiment has evolved into a system ensuring Beijing's absolute control.

   • El Mundo (Spain)22:00
     El oscuro legado de Mao Zedong: "Tuvo errores muy graves, pero hizo que los chinos volviéramos a sentir que teníamos una nación fuerte"

     50 años después de su muerte, el fundador de la República Popular continúa siendo venerado en China pese a las profundas cicatrices que dejaron la Gran Hambruna y la Revolución Cultural Leer

8. Sat, 19 September 2026

   1 report
   • Le Monde English13:06
     Mao's birthplace in Shaoshan, a center of 'red tourism': 'It's an enriching experience for my education'

     'Mao's Fraught Legacy' (6/7). Mao Zedong's birthplace swiftly became a site of memory. Each year, 12 million Chinese people, from schoolchildren to retirees, travel there to pay their respects, learn the history of the Communist Party, or simply for entertainment.