MAO & NAT

Nat’s family lived in China in the late 60s during the cultural revolution. As part of Mao’s efforts to cement communism and ensure that capitalism didn’t gain any traction, hundreds of new printing houses were built producing millions of his ‘little red book’. In this way his speeches were disseminated to almost all the population. The book, along with Mao’s bust were unofficial requirements of anyone living in China. Aged 2 Nat would declare to the statue ‘Wo ai ni Mao Ju Shi’ – I love you Chairman Mao. This was the cue for Nat’s mum’s decision to return to the UK. When the family were released from their compound arrest (the authorities believed Nat’s dad was a spy), they fled to England. Mao came with them, in the form of the statue. He lives with Nat to this day, on the kitchen window sill. He is as much a part of her life now as he ever was, perhaps more so, since he fell off her desk and she spent a week painstakingly gluing him back together.

16 Jul 2011