On Pilgrimage in China (Pictures)

OR HOW MAO'S HOMETOWN MAY BE THE CLOSEST THING TO JERUSALEM/ MECCA FOR CHINESE PEOPLE

China is not a religious place. Yes, people here practice religion. And maybe, long ago, people embraced group spirituality openly. But in this self-proclaimed secular country, nothing is as religious as Mao Zedong. (At least, for predominantly Han party members.) The official party line says that he was 70% right, and 30% wrong. But that doesn't stop thousands of Chinese nationals from visiting Shaoshan, Mao's hometown.

We were already in the area, staying in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province. With this pilgrimage site just 90 minutes away, we couldn't resist not going.

When we first arrived in Shaoshan, we were starving. So we found a kitschy Mao gift shop/restaurant combo to eat in.

Naturally, we ordered Mao's favorite dish: Hong Shao Rou (red braised pork). Or, as I like to think of it, insti-heart attack.

We found plenty of creepy Mao gift shops.

But decided not to buy anything.

First, we saw a big bronze Mao in a huge park. Wanting to fit in, we decided to take a group portrait in front.

Next, we went to the Mao Zedong Memorial Museum, where we learned lots of things.

For example, that Mao gets all the girls.

.   .   .

Here's a picture of what we were led to believe are Mao's chopsticks. DNA testing, anyone?

Finally, we went to see Mao's parents' house. It was free, along with the museum and the park. The transportation...was not.

Look! Mao is poor like us! This hole in the roof, covered by plastic, shows us how poor the Chairman was. But when I noticed that every room's roof had a hole in the same spot, we started to get skeptical.

Mao's bed. This is where he must have dreamt communist dreams, on pillows of a traditional bed.

The grounds near his house, the museum, and the square were immaculately taken care of...for rural China standards.

Me and David in a rapeseed field.

Dan, following my posing advice, in a field. Notice, Alexandra is not taking my tips to heart.

On the way back to Changsha, I made a friend. Yes, he is punching you.

So our trip was beautiful, idyllic, full of fatty food, and rather cheap (if you don't include the car we hired who, after we gave him hundreds of kwai to drive us to Shaoshan, drove us to the nearest bus depot, bought us each 15 kwai tickets, and left us to take the slow, local bus all the way there). But don't worry. It will take more than a pilgrimage to make me hail Chairman Mao.

Thank you to Alexandra Sterman for donating pictures to this post.