Government
Mao Zedong’s Infamous Mango Cult
In 1968, Chairman Mao Zedong gifted factories across China with fresh mangoes, leading to a frenzy of speculation and rituals surrounding the fruit. However, this seemingly harmless gesture was actually a propaganda tool during the Cultural Revolution, a dark period of violence and repression in Chinese history. The mango fever eventually faded, but discussion of the Cultural Revolution remains restricted in China today.
