For the decade between 1966 and 1976, Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution wreaked immense havoc on China – with up to 2 million killed, and another 36 million persecuted for perceived political or cultural sins. Tania Branigan is the author of a Cundill Prize-shortlisted book Red Memory, which draws on personal testimonies to chart the story of this terrifying decade. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, she discusses why the Cultural Revolution was such a significant moment in Chinese history and explores its continued impact on the country’s politics, culture and psyche today.
(Ad) Tania Branigan is the author of Red Memory: Living, Remembering and Forgetting China’s Cultural Revolution (Faber & Faber, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon:
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Give Feedback About This Article