Culver City,
California
x
Red Flag Canal
Maker: Unknown
Date Made: 20th century
Country: China
Materials: porcelain
Measurements: 38.1 cm x 36.2 cm x 19.05 cm; 15 in x 14 1/4 in x 7 1/2 in
Ceramic depicting the Red Flag Canal. Peasants celebrate the Red Flag Canal, which was a large-scale irrigation project in the Henan Province to bring water ot drought-prone farmland. After its completion, it was considered one of hte great achievements of Chiense workers. Along with the model projects of the Daqing Oilfield and Dazhai Village, it served as an example of how the Chinese people, by using Mao Zedong Thought, could control nature and bend it to their will. The inscriptions refer to the traditional fable of Yugongyishan (The Foolish Old Man Who Moves Mountains). In the fable, an old man, Yu Gong, wanted to dig up two mountains that obstructed his path. Even though many people told him this task was impossible, he persisted and belived that his descendants would eventually accomplish the task. The gods were moved by Yu Gong's efforts and sent two immortals who carried away the mountains. The fable was famously used by Mao in his 1945 speech at Yan'an, in which he spoke of the two big mountains that "lie like deadweight on the Chinese People": imperialism and feudalism. Mao reinterpreted the Yu Gong fable as a collective call to action-- that with perseverance and strength of will, anything is possible.
Accession Number: 2023.015.002
Collection/Series: Busts & Sculptures