From Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping – the return of the Chinese emperors?

There are strong intimations that, in the midst of its remarkable economic advance, China may be returning to a form of imperial rule. Observers suggest that it is re-establishing a leadership personality cult. The centralised, personalised authority restored by Mao did not die with him but is currently being resurrected. China seems to be engaged in an astonishing attempt to modernise its economy while reverting to its traditional autocratic polity. How accurate are these observations? What was Mao’s legacy? Does it still shape modern China? Public lecture by Dr Michael Lynch, author of Mao, 2nd edn (Routledge, 2017) at the University of Melbourne, 11 December 2017