Mao Zedong

Silver profile of Mao Zedong over red background. 

The button was worn during the Cultural Revolution, a social movement spearheaded by Chairman Mao Ze-Dong. The movement took place between 1966 - 1976. The purpose was to instill Communist ideologies and remove capitalism and traditional Chinese culture from society. The Cultural Revolution quickly escalated and students formed a paramilitary group called the Red Guards. They attacked intellectuals such as teacher, professors, scientists; and even the elderly members of their family for not sharing the same views. The Cultural Revolution was a period of chaos and devastated  China intellectually and economically.

The text on the center of the backside reads "Long live Chairman Mao." The words are in Mao's own hand-written calligraphy. The words on the bottom left reads "China," and the bottom right reads "Shanghai."