Why is the cultural revolution so fascinating?

How does one "destroy" culture?

cultural (((revolution)))

Abandonment of traditions and the physical destruction of cultural artifacts mostly. Creating a clean break with the past so that the next generation has no exposure to the traditions of their parents. Tear down every statue, level every historic building, forbid and burn every work of art that represents your past. People born after the revolution should not have any idea that there existed a way of life before the one they grew up in.

Idk but I'm reading the 3 body problem rn and it's got me pretty interested

Because it is Marxism in it's purest form. The workers taking control of their lives and seeking an end to capitalism. Truly, a peoples lead, bottom up revolution that should be emulated throughout the world.

The first massive societal suicide attempt.

Here's some interesting reading: nybooks.com/articles/2017/01/19/tan-hecheng-chinese-unspeakable/

Most of Chinese were illiterate rural peasants. Maoism basically kept the 'workers' part on the back burner. Hard to launch a true communist revolution when you're not (at that time) even much industrialized or urbanized.

It was a small mistake of Marx made that Mao corrected; that the counter-imperialist revolution will come from the third world instead of the imperialist countries. In my opinion, this difference is negligible, it was still a revolution lead by the exploited.

But don't all people have culture?

As long as there are X people, there is X culture?

mao and his cronies exploited the peasants

Don't be daft, we're obviously talking about destroying a particular culture. Yes, of course another one will take it's place.

God I feel sorry for the Chinese. I taught a bunch of Chinese people English at the local immigration centre and you could see the heartbreak in their eyes whenever they talked about the political situation and historical disconnect of their country even though they love China itself. As messed up as things are here in the West you have to appreciate the freedom and connection to the past we do have.

欲要亡其国,必先灭其史。欲灭其族,必先灭其文化。

The Cultural Revolution will probably end up being the primary factor in China becoming a nationalist fascist racial supremacist country. They're already halfway there. It's deeply ironic when Chinese criticize Japanese for being racists when the Chinese have had a superiority complex for millenia.

Any recommended reading?

yes but the new culture is so trashy and disgusting we simply called it "mainland chinese" culture, to differentiate them from true chinese unaffected by commnuism