Chairman Mao Zedong Badges & Ephemera

I somehow missed this December 2003 story about Yang Chunbing, a Shandong man who may have one of the largest collections of Chairman Mao badges in China. He claims to have spent 150,000 yuan ($18,000 US) over the last 37 years on a collection that includes “…badges highlighting historical events like National Holiday celebrations, the war to resist US aggression in Korea and the liberation of Tibet in 1951.”

“When then 14-year-old Yang Chunbing gingerly wore his first badge displaying the late Chairman Mao’s portrait 37 years ago, he believed the insignia would protect him from any misfortune during the “Cultural Revolution” (1966-76) era.”

If you’ve read any personal accounts of the Cultural Revolution, you already know what these badges meant to people (Gao Yuan’s Born Red is highly recommended ifyou haven’t). It seems like Mr. Yang’s associations are no different than so many others’.