Afleveringen
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In November 1934, the Chinese Red Army faced annihilation on the banks of the Xiang River in Guangxi. This episode dives into the five-day battle that reduced Mao's forces by more than half, the strategic blunders of the German advisor Otto Braun and the 'Twenty-eight Bolsheviks,' and how the disaster paved the way for Mao's ascent at the Zunyi Conference. We explore the local warlords' calculus, the desperate rear-guard actions of Lin Biao and Peng Dehuai, and the human cost—tens of thousands of soldiers and porters sacrificed. The Xiang River is a turning point that is often overshadowed by the Long March itself, but it shaped Mao's leadership and the survival of the Communist Party.#XiangRiver #MaoZedong #LongMarch #ChineseRedArmy #OttoBraun #TwentyEightBolsheviks #ZunyiConference #LinBiao #PengDehuai #Guangxi #JiangxiSoviet #ChineseCivilWar #FifthEncirclement #GermanAdvisor #RearGuardAction #BoGu #ZhouEnlai #HistoryKeep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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In August 1966, Mao Zedong unleashed the Red Guards to destroy the 'Four Olds' — old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old habits. This episode explores the violent campaign that saw temples smashed, books burned, and ancient artifacts destroyed across China. Lucas and Luna delve into the specific targets: the destruction of the Confucius temple in Qufu, the ransacking of the Forbidden City, and the burning of priceless manuscripts. They discuss the role of Jiang Qing and the Cultural Revolution Small Group, the resistance from ordinary citizens, and the lasting cultural loss. With references to the razing of the city of Qufu, the smashing of the stone lions at Tiananmen, and the destruction of the Yongle Dadian encyclopedia, this episode paints a vivid picture of a nation turned against its own heritage. The conversation also touches on the Red Guards' use of 'struggle sessions' and the psychological impact on those forced to denounce their ancestors. A sobering look at how ideology can erase history.#FourOlds #CulturalRevolution #MaoZedong #RedGuards #Qufu #Confucius #ForbiddenCity #YongleDadian #JiangQing #StruggleSessions #DestructionOfHeritage #1966 #China #History #FexingoHistory #CulturalLoss #Ideology #RevolutionaryTerrorKeep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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In 1938, Mao Zedong married Jiang Qing, a Shanghai actress turned revolutionary. This episode explores how their partnership evolved from a forbidden romance in Yan'an to a political alliance that shaped the Cultural Revolution. We trace Jiang Qing's journey from the silverscreen to the Politburo, her role in the Yan'an Rectification, and her eventual fall. Along the way, we meet figures like Kang Sheng, who mentored her, and Mao's previous wives—He Zizhen and Yang Kaihui. We also examine the 1970 Lushan Plenum, where Jiang Qing clashed with Lin Biao, and the 1976 arrest of the Gang of Four. A nuanced look at one of the most controversial marriages in modern Chinese history.#MaoZedong #JiangQing #ChineseHistory #CulturalRevolution #Yan'an #GangOfFour #LinBiao #HeZizhen #KangSheng #LushanPlenum #MaoMarriage #20thCenturyChina #CCP #ChineseCommunistParty #Maoist #ColdWar #History #FexingoHistoryKeep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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In March 1947, Mao Zedong made a decision that stunned the world: rather than defend Yan'an, the revolutionary capital, he ordered a total evacuation. This episode reopens a little-known chapter of the Chinese Civil War — the Nationalist occupation of Yan'an, the CCP's guerrilla counterattack, and the psychological warfare that followed. We trace Mao's tactical retreat into the mountains of northern Shaanxi, where he spent a year on the move, directing a war from caves and donkey carts. We discuss Hu Zongnan's triumphant march into an empty city, the 'lost' secret cables intercepted by Nationalist codebreakers, and the propaganda duel over a city that was both a symbol and a trap. Why did Mao abandon his base? How did the CCP turn defeat into a strategic victory? And what does this episode reveal about Mao's willingness to sacrifice symbols for survival?#MaoZedong #Yan'an #ChineseCivilWar #HuZongnan #Shaanxi #GuerrillaWarfare #CCP #NationalistChina #1947 #Propaganda #Codebreaking #EmptyCity #TacticalRetreat #RevolutionaryBase #MaoTactics #History #FexingoHistory #EastAsiaKeep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the devastating famine during Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward (1958-1962), focusing on the human cost and systemic failures. They discuss the role of grain requisition quotas, the collapse of local food reserves, and the tragic experience of Henan province, where millions perished. The conversation brings in key figures like Peng Dehuai, who criticized the policies at the 1959 Lushan Conference, and local officials like Li Jingquan. They also examine the failure of the backyard steel furnaces and the impact of poor harvest reporting. Through specific accounts—such as the village of Xinyang—they reveal how ideological rigidity and statistical falsification turned a bad harvest into a catastrophe. The episode also touches on the aftermath, including the shift in policy after Mao's retreat from frontline leadership in 1961, and the long shadow cast by the famine on China's rural population.#GreatLeapForward #ChineseFamine #MaoZedong #HenanFamine #PengDehuai #LushanConference #BackyardFurnaces #GrainRequisition #Xinyang #LiJingquan #ThreeHardYears #ChineseHistory #1958 #Famine #HistoryPodcast #FexingoHistory #EastAsia #MaoistEraKeep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore Mao Zedong's personal life through his relationship with his third wife, He Zizhen. Starting with their 1928 marriage in Jinggangshan, the hosts delve into He Zizhen's role as a revolutionary in her own right — a veteran of the Long March who bore Mao six children, most of whom were lost or abandoned in the chaos of war. The conversation covers the emotional toll of the Yan'an years, including the arrival of Jiang Qing, the subsequent breakdown of Mao's marriage, and He Zizhen's tragic spiral into mental illness. Lucas also examines how Mao's view of marriage as a strategic tool for political alliances shaped his personal life, drawing on specifics like the 1938 divorce negotiations and He Zizhen's eventual fate in Shanghai. The episode offers a rare, humanizing look at the personal costs behind the revolutionary icon, framed by the broader context of the Chinese Communist movement's harsh demands on its members.#MaoZedong #HeZizhen #JiangQing #Jinggangshan #LongMarch #Yan'an #ChineseCommunistRevolution #CCP #ChineseHistory #EastAsia #MarriageAndPolitics #WomenInHistory #PersonalCost #Polygamy #RevolutionaryLife #History #FexingoHistory #BiographyKeep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore a little-known but revealing episode from Mao Zedong's later years: his 1965 decision to never set foot in the Forbidden City again. Why did the man who declared the birth of the People's Republic from Tiananmen turn his back on the imperial heart of Beijing? We trace Mao's complex relationship with the Forbidden City from his 1918 visit as a young librarian to his final, cryptic departure after a late-night meeting with Zhou Enlai. Along the way, we uncover the political and symbolic meanings behind the imperial palaces, Mao's evolving attitude toward traditional Chinese culture, and how the Forbidden City itself was transformed — first into a museum of feudal darkness, then into a UNESCO World Heritage site after Mao's death. We also discuss the 1965 oath's connection to the Cultural Revolution and the campaign against the 'Four Olds.' A story about power, history, and the ghosts that haunt even the most revolutionary of leaders.#MaoZedong #ForbiddenCity #Beijing #ZhouEnlai #CulturalRevolution #FourOlds #ChineseHistory #ImperialPalace #1965 #Zhongnanhai #Tiananmen #RedGuards #UNESCO #EastAsia #FexingoHistory #HistoryPodcast #20thCentury #RevolutionKeep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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In 1951, Mao Zedong launched the Three-Anti Campaign (Sanfan Yundong), a nationwide purge targeting corruption, waste, and bureaucracy within the Chinese Communist Party and state apparatus. This episode explores how the campaign unfolded in Beijing and Shanghai, focusing on the trial of Liu Qingshan and Zhang Zishan—two senior officials executed for embezzlement. We discuss the role of mass mobilization, the use of denunciation meetings, and how Mao turned a anti-corruption drive into a weapon to consolidate his personal authority. The conversation also touches on the aftermath: the campaign's link to the subsequent Five-Anti Campaign against private business, and its long-term impact on party discipline and Chinese political culture. Specific details include the execution at Tiananmen, the involvement of Zhou Enlai, and the propaganda tactics employed by the People's Daily. Warning: contains discussion of political violence.#ThreeAntiCampaign #SanfanYundong #MaoZedong #ChineseCommunistParty #anti-corruption #1951 #LiuQingshan #ZhangZishan #ZhouEnlai #Beijing #Shanghai #massmobilization #propaganda #FiveAntiCampaign #ColdWarAsia #PRChistory #History #FexingoHistoryKeep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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In July 1959, as the Great Leap Forward's catastrophic consequences were becoming undeniable, Chinese Defense Minister Peng Dehuai wrote a blunt letter to Mao Zedong criticizing the campaign's excesses. This sparked a dramatic confrontation at the Lushan Conference that would reshape the Chinese Communist Party. Lucas and Luna explore the events leading up to the conference, the contents of Peng's 'Letter of Opinion,' Mao's furious response, and the purge that followed. They discuss Peng's background as a legendary military commander, his relationship with Mao dating back to the Jinggangshan days, and the broader implications of the crackdown on dissent within the party. The episode examines how Peng's ouster marked a turning point, silencing internal criticism and accelerating the disastrous policies that led to the Great Chinese Famine. With vivid details from the conference itself — including Mao's seven-hour speech accusing Peng of forming a 'military club' — this episode reveals a pivotal moment when one man's courage collided with an increasingly authoritarian system.#MaoZedong #PengDehuai #LushanConference #GreatLeapForward #ChineseHistory #CCP #CulturalRevolution #GreatChineseFamine #History #FexingoHistory #ColdWar #Communism #1959 #China #Maoist #PoliticalPurge #Mao #PengDehuaiLetterKeep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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In April 1969, the Chinese Communist Party convened its Ninth National Congress in Beijing, the first since the Cultural Revolution began in 1966. This episode takes you inside the Great Hall of the People for that ten-day gathering, where Mao Zedong, Lin Biao, Jiang Qing, Zhou Enlai, and a newly purged Central Committee reshaped the party's power structure. We examine the Congress's rewriting of the party constitution to enshrine Lin Biao as Mao's 'close comrade in arms and successor,' the expulsion of nearly all pre-Cultural Revolution leaders like Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping, and the adoption of the 'theory of continuing revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat.' We also explore the bizarre display of Mao's 'little red book' as a near-sacred object, the choreographed mass recitations, and the propaganda blitz that preceded the Congress. Drawing on memoirs, official documents, and archival footage, we ask: Was this the moment the Cultural Revolution institutionalized itself, or the beginning of its unraveling?#MaoZedong #NinthCongress #CulturalRevolution #LinBiao #JiangQing #ZhouEnlai #LiuShaoqi #DengXiaoping #LittleRedBook #CPC #Beijing #GreatHallOfThePeople #1969 #ContinuingRevolution #ChinaHistory #EastAsia #ColdWar #FexingoHistoryKeep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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In June 1960, Mao Zedong returned to his childhood village of Shaoshan for the first time since 1927. This episode follows that three-day visit, which occurred during the darkest depths of the Great Leap Forward famine. We explore the village's preparation, Mao's interactions with locals, his private dinner with old comrades, and the eerily staged report on agricultural output. Through the lens of this single pilgrimage, we examine how Mao's revolutionary utopia clashed with rural reality, and how the visit itself became a propaganda tool that concealed starvation. Featuring details from Mao's personal secretary Li Yinqiao, local party secretary Hu Xiangping, and the Shaoshan Memorial Hall archives, this episode reveals a complex leader confronting the consequences of his own policies.#MaoZedong #Shaoshan #GreatLeapForward #1960 #ChineseHistory #Famine #Propaganda #RuralChina #LiYinqiao #HuXiangping #CulturalRevolution #CommunistParty #EastAsia #20thCentury #MaoistChina #History #FexingoHistory #PodcastKeep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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In 1966, Mao Zedong ignited the Cultural Revolution by calling on China's youth to form Red Guard units. This episode of Fexingo History follows the rise of the Red Guards from their first rallies in Beijing to the violent purges that swept the nation. We explore the role of Mao's wife Jiang Qing, the radicalizing effect of the 'May 16 Notification,' and the tragic story of teacher Wang Jinxi who was beaten to death by his own students. We also examine the factional warfare between 'Rebels' and 'Royalists,' the destruction of historical artifacts in cities like Xi'an and Qufu, and the psychological manipulation that turned classmates against each other. Lucas and Luna discuss how Mao used the Red Guards as a weapon against his rivals in the Communist Party, including Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping, and how the movement spiraled beyond his control. By late 1968, Mao sent the Red Guards to the countryside, effectively ending their role. This episode offers a nuanced look at the young revolutionaries—not as monsters, but as products of a regime that weaponized idealism.#MaoZedong #CulturalRevolution #RedGuards #JiangQing #May16Notification #LiuShaoqi #DengXiaoping #Beijing #XiAn #Qufu #GreatLeapForward #WangHongwen #ZhangChunqiao #1966 #China #History #FexingoHistory #ChineseHistoryKeep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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In February 1972, Mao Zedong met Richard Nixon in Beijing, a moment that reshaped global diplomacy. This episode explores the tense, philosophical conversation between the two leaders, the secret diplomacy that paved the way — including Henry Kissinger's 1971 visit — and the Soviet factor that pushed them together. We also look at the joint communiqué, the Shanghai Communiqué, and how Mao used the meeting to break China's isolation while Nixon sought leverage against Moscow. A rare glimpse into the pragmatism behind the revolutionary.#MaoZedong #RichardNixon #ShanghaiCommunique #PingPongDiplomacy #HenryKissinger #ColdWar #SinoAmericanRelations #ZhouEnlai #1972 #Beijing #Détente #SovietUnion #VietnamWar #Taiwan #GreatLeapForward #CulturalRevolution #History #FexingoHistoryKeep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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In this episode, Lucas and Luna delve into the Yan'an Rectification Movement of 1942–44, Mao Zedong's campaign to consolidate ideological control over the Chinese Communist Party. They explore the targeted purge of intellectuals like Wang Shiwei, who criticized party leadership in his essay 'Wild Lilies,' and the role of Liu Shaoqi in promoting Mao's 'Twenty-two Documents.' The conversation examines how rectification transformed party cadres through self-criticism and study sessions, rooting out dissent and establishing Mao's thought as orthodoxy. Lucas explains the movement's methods—from small-group meetings to forced confessions—and its lasting impact on party discipline and the suppression of independent voices. Luna draws parallels to other historical purges, while both consider whether rectification was a necessary wartime measure or a precursor to later campaigns like the Cultural Revolution. The episode also touches on the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art, where Mao famously dictated that art must serve politics. A nuanced look at how a revolutionary party remade itself from within, with consequences that echoed for decades.#Yan'anRectification #MaoZedong #WangShiwei #DingLing #LiuShaoqi #TwentyTwoDocuments #Yan'anForumOnLiteratureAndArt #ChineseCommunistParty #ZhengfengYundong #SelfCriticism #IntellectualPurge #1940sChina #CulturalRevolutionPrecursor #WildLilies #LiberatedArea #History #FexingoHistory #ChineseHistoryKeep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong stood atop Tiananmen and proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China. But the ceremony was more than a declaration — it was a carefully orchestrated performance of legitimacy, unity, and revolutionary spectacle. This episode examines the planning, the symbolism, and the untold moments behind that iconic day. We explore how Mao's words were chosen, the role of the military parade, the presence of non-Communist allies, and the tensions beneath the triumphant surface. Drawing on accounts from participants like Soviet filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein's protégé and the memoirs of Mao's security chief, we reveal the stagecraft that turned a civil war victory into a founding myth. From the design of the national flag to the timing of the gun salutes, every detail was a message to China and the world. How did Mao balance his revolutionary persona with the need for a stable, unified government? And what did the ceremony leave out — the ongoing war, the famine, the purges? This is the story of a day that remade a nation.#MaoZedong #PRCFounding #Tiananmen #October11949 #ChineseHistory #Revolution #CulturalRevolution #Propaganda #Symbolism #MilitaryParade #NationalFlag #ZhouEnlai #LiuShaoqi #ZhuDe #ColdWar #History #FexingoHistory #EastAsiaKeep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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In 1956, Mao Zedong launched the Hundred Flowers Campaign, inviting China's intellectuals to criticize the Communist Party openly. What began as an apparent thaw quickly turned into a trap. This episode explores the campaign's origins in Mao's distrust of bureaucracy, the brief flourishing of dissent in 1957, and the brutal Anti-Rightist Movement that followed. We follow key figures like Luo Longji and Zhang Bojun of the China Democratic League, and the writer Liu Binyan, who dared to speak truth to power. The campaign was a calculated gamble: Mao wanted to flush out his critics so he could crush them. We examine how the movement unfolded in Peking University, the role of the People's Daily editorial 'Why Is This Happening?', and the lasting damage to China's intellectual life. The Hundred Flowers remains a chilling example of state-orchestrated entrapment, and a lesson in how quickly liberalization can be reversed in an authoritarian system.#HundredFlowersCampaign #AntiRightistMovement #MaoZedong #ChineseIntellectuals #LuoLongji #ZhangBojun #LiuBinyan #PekingUniversity #People'sDaily #ChinaDemocraticLeague #Beijing #1957 #CCP #CulturalRevolution #History #FexingoHistory #EastAsia #ModernChineseHistoryKeep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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In 1958, Mao Zedong launched an extraordinary campaign: every village, every school, every street would build its own steel furnace. The goal was to surpass Britain in steel production within 15 years. What followed was a nationwide frenzy that melted down cooking pots, plowshares, and forged useless iron on a colossal scale. Lucas and Luna dig into the specifics — the spontaneous combustion of hillside ovens, the destruction of forests for charcoal, the creation of 'earth-shaking quantities of pig iron that crumbled at a touch.' They visit the village of Chengqiao in Henan, where a young party secretary defied the order and saved his commune's winter grain. They discuss the role of Mao's slogan 'Walking on Two Legs' — industry and agriculture simultaneously — and how the backyard furnace campaign contributed directly to the Great Leap Forward famine. They also examine the aftermath: the millions of tons of pig iron that could not be used, the diversion of labor that led to harvests rotting in the fields, and the shift in Mao's thinking that followed the disaster. A close look at one year, one policy, and its devastating legacy.#MaoZedong #GreatLeapForward #BackyardFurnaces #Henan #Chengqiao #SteelProduction #WalkingOnTwoLegs #ChineseHistory #Famine #1958 #Industrialization #PRC #EastAsia #History #FexingoHistory #MaoEra #CommunistChina #DisasterPolicyKeep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the origins and impact of tunnel warfare during the Second Sino-Japanese War, focusing on Mao Zedong's strategic embrace of guerrilla tactics in the North China Plain. They discuss the famous 1938 directive 'You Fight Your Way, I Fight My Way,' the role of the Eighth Route Army, and the construction of underground networks in villages like Ran Zhuang. The conversation highlights how local peasants, led by commanders like Yang Chengyun, turned the flat terrain into a maze of hidden traps and tunnels, forcing the Imperial Japanese Army into a war of attrition. Lucas explains the logistics of digging tunnels by hand, the challenges of ventilation and water, and the psychological toll on Japanese soldiers. The episode also touches on the legacy of this asymmetric warfare in later Chinese military doctrine. With vivid details and a balanced tone, this episode offers a fresh angle on Mao's military ingenuity and the human cost of resistance.#TunnelWarfare #MaoZedong #SecondSinoJapaneseWar #EighthRouteArmy #RanZhuang #YangChengyun #GuerrillaWarfare #NorthChinaPlain #YouFightYourWayIFightMyWay #1938 #ImperialJapaneseArmy #AsymmetricWarfare #ChineseMilitaryHistory #Wuhan #Caves #Resistance #History #FexingoHistoryKeep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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In 1955, Mao Zedong forced a radical acceleration of agricultural collectivization in China, overriding moderate voices in the Communist Party who warned of disaster. This episode explores Mao's secret speech at a July 1955 conference of provincial secretaries, his purge of cautious officials like Deng Zihui, and the creation of the 'Advanced Producers' Cooperatives' that merged entire villages into single farming units. Lucas and Luna examine how this policy laid the groundwork for the Great Leap Forward's famine, the political maneuvering that silenced critics, and the human cost of Mao's vision for a communist countryside. They also discuss the role of Chen Boda, Mao's ideological secretary, in drafting the directive, and the fate of farmers who resisted. Drawing on Chinese Communist Party archives and Jonathan Spence's 'The Search for Modern China', this episode reveals how a single political decision reshaped the lives of 500 million peasants.#MaoZedong #AgriculturalCooperativization #GreatLeapForward #ChenBoda #DengZihui #ChineseHistory #Collectivization #LandReform #ChineseCommunistParty #1955 #Peasant #Famine #JonathanSpence #EastAsia #20thCentury #PoliticalHistory #History #FexingoHistoryKeep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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In this episode, we explore Mao's 1953 Marriage Law, a sweeping piece of legislation designed to break the centuries-old grip of Confucian patriarchy on Chinese society. We trace how the Communist Party mobilized grassroots Women's Associations, staged public divorce proceedings, and confronted entrenched resistance among rural peasants who viewed the law as an attack on tradition. Featuring the fierce debates in the National People's Congress, the role of Women's Federation leader Deng Yingchao (Zhou Enlai's wife), and the violent backlash in Shanxi villages where women attempting to divorce were murdered. We also examine how the law's enforcement fluctuated with political campaigns—relaxed during the Hundred Flowers, weaponized during the Cultural Revolution—and question whether it ultimately empowered women or subordinated them to the state. A granular look at a revolution that began inside the home.#MarriageLaw1953 #DengYingchao #WomensFederation #ConfucianPatriarchy #ChineseFamily #LandReform #MaoZedong #ChineseCommunistParty #Feudalism #WomenRights #DivorceChina #Shanxi #NationalPeopleCongress #HundredFlowers #CulturalRevolution #EastAsia #FexingoHistory #HistoryKeep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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