Historical+Background

​​ **Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress takes place during the Cultural Revolution of China. During this time, a power hungry dictator named Mao Zedong, commonly known as Chairman Mao, forced the country into many controversial changes.**



**Aside from closing schools and banning all literature that was not propaganda, Mao established a cruel system called "Re-Education Through Manual Labor." Citizens deemed too intellectual (often young, educated adults living in the city) were taken from their homes and forced to live with the peasants of the countryside. Their lives were then consumed by hard labor. Constantly working for their next meal, people no longer had time to think or question. They became downtrodden working machines completely controlled by their government. The resulting violence and chaos took the lives of estimated millions of Chinese. Many found themselves unable to face the dark meaningless lives being forced upon them and chose death. When confronted with this fact, Mao responded, "People who try to commit suicide - don't try to save them! ...China is such a populous nation, it's not as if we cannot do without a few people."**

**This poster was a common sight during the Cultural Revolution. It says "Destroy the old world, build a new world." The man is smashing several symbols of Chinese culture, including a Buddha, a crucifix, and classic Chinese literature.**