You And Me

Was having a chat with some friends yesterday. One of them asked me if I know anything about "The Little Red Book". Ashamed of my ignorance, I decided to google and gain some understanding.

Known in the West as "The Little Red Book", it is a 33-chapter collection of 427 quotes from Chairman, Mao Zedong. In the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, it played a role as a lynchpin, representing the essence of Mao Zedong's ideas.

Since 1966, the Little Red Book, has been published by the Government of the People's Republic of China. Hundreds of millions of copies and numerous versions were printed and were almost ubiquitous in China. Students, soldiers, workers, and peasants studied the book at regular study meetings.

During the Cultural Revolution, studying the book was not only required in schools (from primary grades to universities), but was also a standard practice in the workplace as well. All other units, be it industrial, commercial, agricultural, civil service, and military sectors, organized group sessions for the entire workforce to study the book during working hours.

Also, it was an unofficial requirement for every Chinese citizen to own, to read, and to carry it at all times, especially during the Great Cultural Revolution. During the turbulence, the punishment for failing to show the book upon being asked would include from being beaten by the Red Guards to hard-labor imprisonment.

Interestingly, it was argued that understanding Mao's quotes could definitely bring about enlightenment to the work unit, resulting in production improvement. However, this was not the case, and the Cultural Revolution was now widely viewed as an economic collapse.

Frankly, if the book showing proper codes of conduct (such as how to be more gracious, considerate and etc) is adapted and rolled out in Singapore, it may prove to be a success. After all, the citizens in Singapore have been known to be law-abiding and follow the government's regulation well. Your feedback, please.