A totalitarian system of governance has been in place in China since Qin Shi Huangdi ' s chief advisor, Li Si devised“ Legalism,” which made laws about everything, including the personal lives of individual Chinese. Li Si presided over a bonfire where thousands of books and manuscripts were thrown into the fire, and only the creed of the Emperor and his achievements were left.
People were made expendable to the Emperor, and it was their duty just to serve him: millions are believed to have died working on the Emperor ' s“ Great Wall,” the construction of Beijing and the Forbidden City and the various Emperor ' s mausoleums, so the experience of dying in process of the“ Great Leap Forward” or the Cultural Revolution or any other disastrous Maoist schemes was not a new experience. The stars and signs were consulted when choosing the concubine the Emperor slept with that night, for it was not merely“ sex” but a“ holy act” that would have consequences for the health of the empire.
As if that wasn ' t enough, the serving clergy of this particular faith could not simply vow celibacy. They were castrated and made into eunuchs, for no male could live in the Forbidden City or stay beyond the hours of daylight. Concubines were murdered en masse if there was suspicion of sexual indiscretion, even with eunuchs, for they were not allowed to have relations with any man except and after the Emperor.
Sound familiar, Muslims? Perhaps you have read the special Qur ' anic verse warning you to stay away from Muhammad ' s widows, as they are not“ ordinary” women … No problems with having four wives and sex slaves, but just not Muhammad ' s“ possessions.”
Bumper crops and victories in war were directly ascribed to the Emperor ' s greatness. Defeats and depression were not reported. The“ sinful” generals, eunuchs and other officials were immediately put to death, as they had failed the Emperor, not that the Emperor ' s orders were conceivably wrong. So what was it that Mao did differently— using the term“ Chairman?”
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