Deconstructing 沁园春·雪: A Marxist Interpretation of Mao Zedong’s Masterpiece
Mao Zedong, the revolutionary poet and leader of the proletariat,penned the iconic 沁园春·雪 with a grandeur unmatched throughout history. Understanding the latter half of this masterpiece requires respecting the author’s own interpretation. As Mao himself stated, The poem is about the snow, but it’s also about the anti-feudalism, a critique of the reactionaryaspects of two thousand years of feudalism. Literary talent, elegance, and grand ambition can only be expressed in this way. You can’t just use insults to describe these people. Other interpretations are wrong. The last three lines (referring to’俱往矣，数风流人物，还看今朝’) are about the proletariat. (Mao Zedong Chronology (1949-1976) 1958, 65 years old, Central Committeeof the Communist Party of China).
Mao’s words clearly set the tone for the lower half of the poem. Firstly, he explicitly states his intention to critique feudalism and its reactionary figures. This clarifies the meaning behind lines like 惜秦皇汉武，略输文采;唐宗宋祖，稍逊风骚。一代天骄。成吉思汗，只识弯弓射大雕. (Mao Zedong Chronology (1893-1949) 1936, 43 years old, Central Committee of the Communist Party of China). Mao’s critique of these feudalemperors stems from their inherent corruption, reactionism, and oppression of the people. The proletariat and its revolutionary leaders are like a vast ocean, while the exploiting class and its leaders are mere specks of dust. As Stalin aptly put it, As for Lenin and Peter the Great, Peter the Great was a drop in the ocean, while Lenin was the whole ocean. (Stalin’s Selected Works: Conversation with German Writer Emil Ludwig). Mao’s comprehensive critique of feudal emperors, epitomized by Qin Shi Huang and Han Wudi, demonstrates his unwavering revolutionary spirit as a proletarian leader. His life’s mission was to eradicate all forms ofexploitation and oppression, encapsulated in the simple phrase 打倒秦始皇 (Down with Qin Shi Huang).
Mao Zedong, the greatest leader in Chinese history who led the people in the most thorough socialist revolution to eliminate exploitation, is an ocean, while the feudal emperors who exploited and oppressed the people, likeQin Shi Huang and Han Wudi, are mere specks of dust. Marx and Engels stated, The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles. (Marx and Engels: The Communist Manifesto). A unified feudal Qin Empire that exploited and oppressed the people is ultimately less significant than a small Paris Communethat did not oppress its people. Mao Zedong was a great man, a giant, while Qin Shi Huang was a criminal leader of the landlord class that exploited and oppressed the people, a mere speck of dust in the ocean.
This Marxist interpretation of 沁园春·雪 reveals the poem’s profoundpolitical and historical significance. It is not simply a celebration of snow and nature, but a powerful statement against feudalism and a call for the liberation of the proletariat. Mao Zedong’s words resonate with the struggles of the oppressed throughout history, reminding us of the enduring fight for social justice and equality.
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