We celebrate China's National Day. Right?

1 Oct 1949: Mao announces the “People's Republic of China”
At left Zhu De, Liu Shaoqi, far right Zhou Enlai. 

Today is  the 1st of October, China's National Day. In Chinese: 国庆, which means "Celebrate the Country" Guo Qing! Here in Hong Kong, it's a holiday. 

So, what's to celebrate?  For one, in 1949, the defeat of the communists' arch-enemies. No, not the Japanese. But their fellow Chinese. People who didn't think the same as them, the Nationalist Party (国民党). The KMT were defeated and scurried off to Taiwan, where they remain to this day.

There was such a euphoria back then, 70 years ago, in the leftist world, that many thousands, foreigners and overseas-Chinese alike, came back to China to help "build New Socialism".

All was well. For about five years. Then the paranoia of Mao gave China the "Anti-Rightist Movement". Then came the "Great Leap Forward" and the stinker of them all the "Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution". These socialist movements — all inspired by Mao — killed up to 100 million by starvation, persecution or straight out murder. Yet, in China today, taxi drivers have a hanging mobile of Mao, "The Great Helmsman" on the rear-view mirror. He's a hero. I find it revolting. I usually query them. They find it odd that I don't think he's a great man. Happens I know more than they do about what that evil tyrant got up to in between bedding nymphettes.

Here's what Mao said on that day, 72 years ago (or around that day...):

From the Guardian, 23 September 1949

Sound familiar? Could be Xi Jinping today. Considering the US as the dangerous tiger that you have to attack, no matter what its intentions might appear. That "the right of reactionaries to voice their opinions must be deprived" (come to think of it, also a Woke idea).

What Mao didn't say on that day 72 years ago (at least according to some people): "The Chinese people have stood up". Even if he didn't say it exactly like that, it's what he ought have said. And history has said it for him. A bit like "play it again, Sam". Becall never said it, nor Bogie. But it's our favourite quote from "Casablanca". So on this Maoist quote, I'm on Malcolm's side. Mao meant the Chinese people have stood up; and he, Malcolm, meant we -- Australians -- have stood up -- or we are standing up -- to you, China, 70 years later, in your neo-Maoist garb.Sound familiar? Could be Xi Jinping today. While our C-E Carrie Lam attends a ceremony to Celebrate the Country, and tells us that all is hunky dory and the "One Country Two Systems" formula is just fine after the National Security Law, and as the top-left editorial in the SCMP (the space given over to what Beijing thinks) tells us that we're to have an Article 23, anti secession law, that will restrict even more the public sphere.