The broken promise of a leader's final cremation
In short: In the 1950s, Mao Zedong signed a proposal to ensure all Chinese leaders were cremated upon death. Yet, following his 1976 death, his embalmed body was preserved for public display, creating a permanent monument that contradicted his own written principles.
The Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, located in the center of Beijing's Tiananmen Square, stands on the former site of the Gate of China. While the hall serves as the final resting place for Mao Zedong, it was not originally intended to be a mausoleum. In the 1950s, Mao personally signed the 'Proposal to Carry out Cremation,' a document intended to prevent the creation of imperial-style grave sites or tombs for Party leaders.
However, after Mao's death in 1976, the political landscape shifted. While senior leaders initially planned to display his remains temporarily in the Great Hall of the People, the decision was later made to preserve his body permanently. There are no reliable historical records explaining how the Party leadership reached this decision.
The resulting Memorial Hall was constructed using materials sourced from across China, including granite from Sichuan, pine from Yanlin, and even rock samples from Mount Everest. Presently, four key revolutionaries are commemorated within the hall: Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, and Zhu De. By enlarging the site in 1983, the party aimed to celebrate early CCP figures while bypassing memories of Cultural Revolution instability. The architecture itself avoids imperial themes, instead using traditional aesthetics to glorify modern revolutionary achievements. Even the famous alabaster statue of Mao in the North Hall remains cross-legged—a design choice that was debated by officials but ultimately left unchanged by Deng Xiaoping.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Chairman Mao Memorial Hall
- Also: Wikidata — Mausoleum of Mao Zedong · CC0
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