The presence of the grand-daughter of Mao Zedong on a list of millionaires in China sparked ironies Thursday, as people were denouncing the “hypocrisy” of a regime that continues to officially praise the revolutionary ideal of the People’s Republic of China founder.
Kong Dongmei, a woman aged about 40 years, and her husband Chen Dongsheng are on the 242 place on a rich list compiled by the Chinese financial publication New Fortune. Their wealth is estimated at five billion yuan ($815 million).
Kong is the youngest daughter of Mao and his third wife, He Zizhen. In 2001, she opened a bookstore in Beijing to promote the “Red Culture” and the proletarian revolution that caused the founding of Communist China in 1949.
But many Internet surfers were used sarcasm Thursday on account of Kong Dongmei’s wealth, saying that this doesn’t fit the values of altruism promoted during the Maoist ruling. They also criticized Kong for breaking the one child rule. According to the New Fortune, the couple would have three children.
“The offspring of Chairman Mao, who led us to eradicate private ownership, married a capitalist and violated the family planning policy to give birth to three illegal children,” wrote Luo Chongmin, a government adviser.
One Weibo (Twitter-like social networking platform) user asked: “Did Kong Dongmei… pay any fines after being a mistress for more than 10 years and giving birth to three kids?” Another weibo user replied: “Kong just married a wealthy husband. You can’t attribute it to Mao.”
The controversy comes as the renowned filmmaker Zhang Yimou, 61 years old, one of the main promoters of the official culture in China, is accused of breaking the one-child rule. Director of “Curse of the Golden Flower ” would have seven children with 4 wives and is under investigation. He faces a large fine for violations of one child policy, in place for over 30 years.
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