Red Dreams Bloom Underground--Maoists in Chinatown, 1972

Red Dreams Bloom Underground--Maoists in Chinatown, 1972

In 1972, Nixon's visit to China marked a historic turning point in the relationship between the United States and the People's Republic of China. The sight of Nixon shaking hands with Mao Zedong in Beijing stunned the world and symbolized the slight melting of the Cold War ice. But in that year, another "China-U.S. relationship" was quietly living underground.

San Francisco's Chinatown. A small gathering was being held in a back alley, one step away from the bustle of the main street, at the end of an underground hall. A large portrait of Mao Zedong was displayed, a red flag was fluttering, and young people were chanting President Mao's words and echoing revolutionary songs. The people gathered there were those who believe that People's China is the motherland. They were nameless overseas Chinese living in the U.S., but thinking of the true China and pledging allegiance to Mao Zedong.

But their passion was also seen as "potential treason" in the eyes of the state. The rallies were monitored by the FBI and local police, and in some places there was even a crackdown. They hide their faces and do not give their names, but they still shout "Long Live Chairman Mao. This contradiction between being exiles and revolutionaries was the very essence of their existence.

Meanwhile, on the surface, politics is staged to bring the U.S. and China closer, and signs of economic cooperation begin to emerge. Underground, however, the fires of ideology continue to burn unquenched. While the state was making deals, individuals were still isolated and clinging to their beliefs. In the swell of the times, it may in fact be this underground red flame that burns most quietly and most fiercely.

In this small gathering, there was a voice that could not be scooped out by the state. When politics chooses rationality, poetry, faith, and illusion are often driven underground. In 1972, the red dream was blooming quietly but surely in a place where the sun never shines.