Holy Mangoes

[xvid]

In 1968, the visiting Foreign Minister of Pakistan presented Mao with an unusual diplomatic gift – a case of mangoes. The Chairman was not fond of the fruit, however, and so sent them on to worker-peasant teams in Beijing in recognition of their efforts. There, they quickly gained sacred status, thanks to their association with Mao, whose cult of personality was in full swing. Eating so prestigious a gift was unthinkable, so workers experimented with different ways to preserve the fruit. One mango was placed in a jar of formaldehyde, while another was sealed in wax and placed on an altar where employees could file past it in reverence. Elsewhere, mangoes were boiled in large cauldrons of water, which workers then drank to receive the ‘spirit’ of Mao. The craze resulted in commemorative mugs, plates and posters, as well as a black market in counterfeit Mao fruits – all expressions of a desire to connect to the nation’s leader.