Politics‘Long live the teacher’: Why China’s Gen Z is embracing Mao Zedong again

Many members of China’s Gen Z now call Mao Zedong “the teacher,” while his videos attract millions of views online and Mao’s Selected Works has topped Tsinghua library’s annual borrowing list for years. Analysts say job pressure, inequality and China-Western competition are driving some young people back to his class-based ideas and emphasis on self-reliance. The revival also raises questions about what they remember—and forget.

China's Gen ZMao Zedongjob pressureinequality

BBBC Chinese★★★☆☆2026-09-09 07:57Original