Recently, Mao Dongdong, the great-grandson of the late leader of the Chinese Communist Party Mao Zedong, published a signed article on official media discussing the school history of his institution, claiming to “engrave loyalty into genes” and so on. Mao Dongdong’s move has sparked a heated discussion, with netizens sarcastically asking, “Do you want to take over?”
The China Social Sciences Press recently published an article by Mao Dongdong, which introduces the founding history of the PLA Military Engineering Institute. The article also quotes Xi Jinping’s admonition to the school in 2017, emphasizing the need to embody loyalty “engraved into genes, integrated into the blood, and translated into action,” and so forth.
At the age of 22, Mao Dongdong, born on December 26, 2003, on the 110th anniversary of Mao Zedong’s birth date, is the son of Major General Mao Xinyu and Liu Bin. In 2022, Mao Dongdong entered the PLA National University of Defense Technology for studies, the predecessor of which was the Military Engineering Institute.
The Military Engineering Institute (referred to as the Harbin Military Institute) was established in Harbin in 1953 as the first higher military engineering college after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. It was later relocated to Changsha and used as the foundation to establish the National University of Defense Science and Technology.
Mao Dongdong’s article was screenshot and reposted on an overseas platform, sparking heated discussions among netizens:
“Do you want to succeed the mantle?”
“His father may not even be a legitimate grandson; yet here he is pretending to be a true great-grandson.”
“Is the North Koreanization still far away? Soft propaganda has already begun paving the way. If Kim Jong Un’s daughter, Lukashenko’s son, and if Kadyrov’s son in Chechnya can successfully take over, domestic internet commentators will surely give them special attention.”
“Unfortunately, the Red Third Generation is already chilled because of Xi. Mao’s grandchildren are now the objects to be vigilant against harmonious coordination.”
“The descendants of the Taizu [referring to Mao Zedong] want to create momentum for power struggles. If the ‘Qingfeng Emperor’ [referring to Xi Jinping] does not take action, he will be waiting for a backlash and will be dealt with.”
“Do they think they are royalty?”
“Wishing to seize the throne, taking over now might be too late, after all, Mingze is blocking the path ahead.”
“Chinese people can’t afford so many parasites anymore.”
“Dongdong, do you know that many people in China criticize your grandfather?”
The descendants of the Chinese Communist Party’s red nobility once held many important positions in the officialdom but have collectively phased out in different ways. Among them, Mao Xinyu, the grandson of Mao Zedong, who used to attract attention during the annual Two Sessions due to his status and provocative remarks, has been rarely seen after failing to be elected as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference in 2018.
On the day of the CCP’s 93rd military parade, Mao Xinyu and his family went to Tiananmen Square to watch the parade ceremony together. According to the video, Mao Xinyu and his son Mao Dongdong were in military uniforms, while his wife Liu Bin wore a light blue top with white pants, and their daughter Mao Tianyi was dressed in sports attire.