What Next? Empire State Building Honors Communist Anniversary

Rory Cooper / September 30, 2009

Residents and visitors of New York City will experience an odd phenomenon tonight. The Empire State Building, a symbol of American strength, determination and might will be colored Red and Yellow to honor the 60th anniversary of China’s communist regime taking power. Lighting the building for special occasions is not abnormal, as it has been lit to honor everything from the Fourth of July, to Caribbean tourism, to the Yankees and Mets, or to honor the film, The Wizard of Oz. But is it appropriate to honor what happened in China 60 years ago, and what continues in that country to this day?

First, a short history lesson of what they are honoring. Sixty years ago, in 1949, Chairman Mao Zedong declared the Civil War of China over and the Communist Party of China, assisted by the Soviet Union, the victors over the U.S.-backed Nationalist KMT regime. As a result, over 2 million Nationalist Chinese fled to Taiwan and re-established the government of the Republic of China there, the legitimacy of which is still disputed by the People’s Republic of China to this day. Also as a result of the Communist takeover of mainland China, wealth was redistributed by the new government, religion was replaced by political propaganda, Tibet was invaded in 1950, the economic disaster known as “The Great Leap Forward” occurred with between 20 million and 43 million people starving to death, and the massive human tragedy known as the Cultural Revolution was carried out. (more…)