Episodes

  • Mao's 1958 Great Leap Starving: The Truth Behind the Famine

    Mao's 1958 Great Leap Starving: The Truth Behind the Famine
    Jun 12 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the devastating famine during Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward (1958-1962), focusing on the human cost and systemic failures. They discuss the role of grain requisition quotas, the collapse of local food reserves, and the tragic experience of Henan province, where millions perished. The conversation brings in key figures like Peng Dehuai, who criticized the policies at the 1959 Lushan Conference, and local officials like Li Jingquan. They also examine the failure of the backyard steel furnaces and the impact of poor harvest reporting. Through specific accounts—such as the village of Xinyang—they reveal how ideological rigidity and statistical falsification turned a bad harvest into a catastrophe. The episode also touches on the aftermath, including the shift in policy after Mao's retreat from frontline leadership in 1961, and the long shadow cast by the famine on China's rural population. #GreatLeapForward #ChineseFamine #MaoZedong #HenanFamine #PengDehuai #LushanConference #BackyardFurnaces #GrainRequisition #Xinyang #LiJingquan #ThreeHardYears #ChineseHistory #1958 #Famine #HistoryPodcast #FexingoHistory #EastAsia #MaoistEra Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 mins
  • Mao's 1939 Marriage to He Zizhen: The Woman Behind the Revolutionary

    Mao's 1939 Marriage to He Zizhen: The Woman Behind the Revolutionary
    Jun 12 2026
    In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore Mao Zedong's personal life through his relationship with his third wife, He Zizhen. Starting with their 1928 marriage in Jinggangshan, the hosts delve into He Zizhen's role as a revolutionary in her own right — a veteran of the Long March who bore Mao six children, most of whom were lost or abandoned in the chaos of war. The conversation covers the emotional toll of the Yan'an years, including the arrival of Jiang Qing, the subsequent breakdown of Mao's marriage, and He Zizhen's tragic spiral into mental illness. Lucas also examines how Mao's view of marriage as a strategic tool for political alliances shaped his personal life, drawing on specifics like the 1938 divorce negotiations and He Zizhen's eventual fate in Shanghai. The episode offers a rare, humanizing look at the personal costs behind the revolutionary icon, framed by the broader context of the Chinese Communist movement's harsh demands on its members. #MaoZedong #HeZizhen #JiangQing #Jinggangshan #LongMarch #Yan'an #ChineseCommunistRevolution #CCP #ChineseHistory #EastAsia #MarriageAndPolitics #WomenInHistory #PersonalCost #Polygamy #RevolutionaryLife #History #FexingoHistory #Biography Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 mins
  • Mao's 1965 Oath to Never Visit the Forbidden City Again

    Mao's 1965 Oath to Never Visit the Forbidden City Again
    Jun 11 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore a little-known but revealing episode from Mao Zedong's later years: his 1965 decision to never set foot in the Forbidden City again. Why did the man who declared the birth of the People's Republic from Tiananmen turn his back on the imperial heart of Beijing? We trace Mao's complex relationship with the Forbidden City from his 1918 visit as a young librarian to his final, cryptic departure after a late-night meeting with Zhou Enlai. Along the way, we uncover the political and symbolic meanings behind the imperial palaces, Mao's evolving attitude toward traditional Chinese culture, and how the Forbidden City itself was transformed — first into a museum of feudal darkness, then into a UNESCO World Heritage site after Mao's death. We also discuss the 1965 oath's connection to the Cultural Revolution and the campaign against the 'Four Olds.' A story about power, history, and the ghosts that haunt even the most revolutionary of leaders. #MaoZedong #ForbiddenCity #Beijing #ZhouEnlai #CulturalRevolution #FourOlds #ChineseHistory #ImperialPalace #1965 #Zhongnanhai #Tiananmen #RedGuards #UNESCO #EastAsia #FexingoHistory #HistoryPodcast #20thCentury #Revolution Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins
  • Mao's 1951 Three-Anti Campaign: The Purge That Cemented His Power

    Mao's 1951 Three-Anti Campaign: The Purge That Cemented His Power
    Jun 11 2026
    In 1951, Mao Zedong launched the Three-Anti Campaign (Sanfan Yundong), a nationwide purge targeting corruption, waste, and bureaucracy within the Chinese Communist Party and state apparatus. This episode explores how the campaign unfolded in Beijing and Shanghai, focusing on the trial of Liu Qingshan and Zhang Zishan—two senior officials executed for embezzlement. We discuss the role of mass mobilization, the use of denunciation meetings, and how Mao turned a anti-corruption drive into a weapon to consolidate his personal authority. The conversation also touches on the aftermath: the campaign's link to the subsequent Five-Anti Campaign against private business, and its long-term impact on party discipline and Chinese political culture. Specific details include the execution at Tiananmen, the involvement of Zhou Enlai, and the propaganda tactics employed by the People's Daily. Warning: contains discussion of political violence. #ThreeAntiCampaign #SanfanYundong #MaoZedong #ChineseCommunistParty #anti-corruption #1951 #LiuQingshan #ZhangZishan #ZhouEnlai #Beijing #Shanghai #massmobilization #propaganda #FiveAntiCampaign #ColdWarAsia #PRChistory #History #FexingoHistory Fexingo founder and producer: Ibnul Jaif Farabi Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    6 mins
  • Mao's 1959 Lushan Conference: The Fall of Peng Dehuai

    Mao's 1959 Lushan Conference: The Fall of Peng Dehuai
    Jun 10 2026
    In July 1959, as the Great Leap Forward's catastrophic consequences were becoming undeniable, Chinese Defense Minister Peng Dehuai wrote a blunt letter to Mao Zedong criticizing the campaign's excesses. This sparked a dramatic confrontation at the Lushan Conference that would reshape the Chinese Communist Party. Lucas and Luna explore the events leading up to the conference, the contents of Peng's 'Letter of Opinion,' Mao's furious response, and the purge that followed. They discuss Peng's background as a legendary military commander, his relationship with Mao dating back to the Jinggangshan days, and the broader implications of the crackdown on dissent within the party. The episode examines how Peng's ouster marked a turning point, silencing internal criticism and accelerating the disastrous policies that led to the Great Chinese Famine. With vivid details from the conference itself — including Mao's seven-hour speech accusing Peng of forming a 'military club' — this episode reveals a pivotal moment when one man's courage collided with an increasingly authoritarian system. #MaoZedong #PengDehuai #LushanConference #GreatLeapForward #ChineseHistory #CCP #CulturalRevolution #GreatChineseFamine #History #FexingoHistory #ColdWar #Communism #1959 #China #Maoist #PoliticalPurge #Mao #PengDehuaiLetter Fexingo founder and producer: Ibnul Jaif Farabi Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    4 mins
  • Mao's 1969 Ninth Congress: The Cultural Revolution's Bloody Peak

    Mao's 1969 Ninth Congress: The Cultural Revolution's Bloody Peak
    Jun 10 2026
    In April 1969, the Chinese Communist Party convened its Ninth National Congress in Beijing, the first since the Cultural Revolution began in 1966. This episode takes you inside the Great Hall of the People for that ten-day gathering, where Mao Zedong, Lin Biao, Jiang Qing, Zhou Enlai, and a newly purged Central Committee reshaped the party's power structure. We examine the Congress's rewriting of the party constitution to enshrine Lin Biao as Mao's 'close comrade in arms and successor,' the expulsion of nearly all pre-Cultural Revolution leaders like Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping, and the adoption of the 'theory of continuing revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat.' We also explore the bizarre display of Mao's 'little red book' as a near-sacred object, the choreographed mass recitations, and the propaganda blitz that preceded the Congress. Drawing on memoirs, official documents, and archival footage, we ask: Was this the moment the Cultural Revolution institutionalized itself, or the beginning of its unraveling? #MaoZedong #NinthCongress #CulturalRevolution #LinBiao #JiangQing #ZhouEnlai #LiuShaoqi #DengXiaoping #LittleRedBook #CPC #Beijing #GreatHallOfThePeople #1969 #ContinuingRevolution #ChinaHistory #EastAsia #ColdWar #FexingoHistory Fexingo founder and producer: Ibnul Jaif Farabi Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    6 mins
  • Mao's 1960 Visit to the Shaoshan Home: The Return That Revealed a Fractured Nation

    Mao's 1960 Visit to the Shaoshan Home: The Return That Revealed a Fractured Nation
    Jun 9 2026
    In June 1960, Mao Zedong returned to his childhood village of Shaoshan for the first time since 1927. This episode follows that three-day visit, which occurred during the darkest depths of the Great Leap Forward famine. We explore the village's preparation, Mao's interactions with locals, his private dinner with old comrades, and the eerily staged report on agricultural output. Through the lens of this single pilgrimage, we examine how Mao's revolutionary utopia clashed with rural reality, and how the visit itself became a propaganda tool that concealed starvation. Featuring details from Mao's personal secretary Li Yinqiao, local party secretary Hu Xiangping, and the Shaoshan Memorial Hall archives, this episode reveals a complex leader confronting the consequences of his own policies. #MaoZedong #Shaoshan #GreatLeapForward #1960 #ChineseHistory #Famine #Propaganda #RuralChina #LiYinqiao #HuXiangping #CulturalRevolution #CommunistParty #EastAsia #20thCentury #MaoistChina #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast Fexingo founder and producer: Ibnul Jaif Farabi Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    5 mins
  • Mao's 1966 Red Guards: The Youth Who Unleashed Chaos

    Mao's 1966 Red Guards: The Youth Who Unleashed Chaos
    Jun 9 2026
    In 1966, Mao Zedong ignited the Cultural Revolution by calling on China's youth to form Red Guard units. This episode of Fexingo History follows the rise of the Red Guards from their first rallies in Beijing to the violent purges that swept the nation. We explore the role of Mao's wife Jiang Qing, the radicalizing effect of the 'May 16 Notification,' and the tragic story of teacher Wang Jinxi who was beaten to death by his own students. We also examine the factional warfare between 'Rebels' and 'Royalists,' the destruction of historical artifacts in cities like Xi'an and Qufu, and the psychological manipulation that turned classmates against each other. Lucas and Luna discuss how Mao used the Red Guards as a weapon against his rivals in the Communist Party, including Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping, and how the movement spiraled beyond his control. By late 1968, Mao sent the Red Guards to the countryside, effectively ending their role. This episode offers a nuanced look at the young revolutionaries—not as monsters, but as products of a regime that weaponized idealism. #MaoZedong #CulturalRevolution #RedGuards #JiangQing #May16Notification #LiuShaoqi #DengXiaoping #Beijing #XiAn #Qufu #GreatLeapForward #WangHongwen #ZhangChunqiao #1966 #China #History #FexingoHistory #ChineseHistory Fexingo founder and producer: Ibnul Jaif Farabi Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    5 mins