PRC at birth: The joy and pride of 1949

There was great rejoicing among all Chinese, at home and abroad, as the People's Republic of China was installed on Oct. 1, 1949. Our Asia correspondent Harvey Stockwin reports one account of the ceremony -- and the revealing aftermath.

HONG KONG (JP): What was the atmosphere actually like, that morning in Beijing 50 years ago, Oct. 1, 1949, when, neither for the first nor the last time, a new dynasty was ushered onto the stage of China's long history?

There are not many lively first person accounts easily available either in English or in translation. But one which best conveyed a vivid sense of an exhilarating dawn, a new era arising, was written by someone who described himself as a "new member of the heart of the Chinese revolution, privileged not only to witness the ceremony formally establishing the People's Republic Of China, but to also have a front-row seat".

He wrote: "On Oct. 1, 1949, the whole population of the Fragrant Hills, (where I was staying) was awakened at 5 o'clock in the morning to the type of crisp, clear, and chilly day that makes autumn in Beijing the most magnificent season. We rode by truck from the Fragrant Hills and arrived in Tiananmen Square a little before 7, taking our places near the marble bridge just at the foot of the Gate of Heavenly Peace, which serves as the entrance to the Forbidden City.

"Tiananmen Square was smaller than it is today, surrounded by the dilapidated buildings that once served as rest houses for officials awaiting an audience with the emperor. The Great Hall of the People and the Museum of Revolutionary History would be constructed in 1959, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the founding of New China.

"When we arrived the square was already swarming with people, carefully chosen from all walks of life. I had a perfect view of the podium from which the leaders would proclaim the establishment of the People's Republic. Above the sea of people, thousands of banners were unfurled, waving in the autumn breeze, their colors transforming the shabby city. The crowd was shouting slogans "Long Live the People's Republic of China" "Long Live the Chinese Communist Party" and singing revolutionary songs. The enthusiasm was contagious, and everyone grew more excited with every new slogan and song.

"At 10 o'clock sharp Mao Zedong and the other top leaders appeared on the podium overlooking the square. The effect was electric. Mao had been my hero since my brother first told me he was China's messiah, and this was my first glimpse of my savior. He was 56 years old then, tall and healthy and solid. His face was ruddy, his black hair thick, his forehead high and broad. His voice was powerful and clear, his gestures decisive.

"Mao no longer wore the military uniform so familiar to us from his photographs. The founding of the new government was a state occasion and Mao officiated in his position as the chairman of the PRC, representing the central government rather than the party. He wore a dark brown Sun Yat Sen suit -- (only later would the style be referred to as the Mao suit) -- and a workers cap for this civil occasion, and he stood among a number of non- communist political personalities as testimony to the reality of the united front. The beautiful Soong Chingling, widow of Dr Sun Yat Sen, who had toppled the imperial system and brought China to political modernity, was among them.

"Mao Zedong was the center of attention, but his manner was dignified, and there was an air of modesty about him, with no trace of arrogance. I had seen Chiang Kai-shek many times during the height of his power, and he had always been aloof, demanding subservience from everyone around him. The effect was invariably alienating.

"Mao, though, was a truly magnetic force. Mao did not speak standard Mandarin. But the Hunan dialect he spoke is easy for Mandarin speakers to understand and its rhythm and tones are pleasant to the ear. Mao's voice was soft, almost lilting and the effect of his speech was riveting. "The Chinese people have stood up" he proclaimed, and the crowd went wild, thundering in applause, shouting over and over "Long Live the PRC" "Long Live the CCP".

"I was so full of joy my heart nearly burst out of my throat and tears welled up in my eyes. I was so proud of China, so full of hope, so happy that the exploitation and suffering, the aggression from foreigners, would be gone forever. I had no doubt that Mao was the great leader of the revolution the maker of a new Chinese history".

The passage perfectly encapsulates the high hopes that most Chinese, wherever they were, felt at that moment in time.

As it happens, the life of the author of that passage reminds that for many those hopes did not last long and were all too quickly replaced by a pervasive cynicism and disillusion, which endure to this day.

"In 1949 I was only an ordinary doctor and Mao was the great revolutionary leader . . . . never in my wildest imagination could I have suspected that soon I would become Mao's personal physician" wrote the author of the passage quoted above. Five years later, the unimaginable happens, and from 1954 onwards, Dr Li Zhisui constantly attends to Mao's medical needs for 22 years until Mao's death in 1976.

Encouraged by some high-ranking communist cadres, including Marshall Ye Jiangying (who played a key role in returning Deng Xiaoping to power in 1978), Dr Li dedicated the last years of his life writing the book The Private Life of Chairman Mao (Random House, 1994).

In the book he describes "the terrible human consequences of Mao's dictatorship" --- and provides first hand evidence how Mao, far from creating a truly New China, as everyone hoped that day in 1949, behaved more and more in the arbitrary -- and alienating -- way of the emperors of old.

As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations, all criticism of Mao has been banned.