Egg on Mao: The Story of an Ordinary Man Who Defaced an Icon and Unmasked a Dictatorship

by Denise Chong

The hail of 30 paint-filled eggs, cracking and leaking across the towering portrait of Chairman Mao, caught the Tiananmen Square protestors off guard. There was condemnation and confusion. A clash of cheers and jeers accosted the three young men whose collective act defied the dictator who molded their country and their lives.

Egg on Mao pivots around that defining moment during the 1989 student protests, focusing on the life of a bus mechanic named Lu Decheng and how his frustrations growing up in a backwater Chinese town under a repressive regime led him to board a train to Beijing with his two friends to join the protests. Ultimately labeled a political instigator, Lu and his friends disappeared into the Chinese prison system and were not seen by the public again for almost 15 years. Lu’s release from prison and subsequent political asylum in Canada made it possible for Denise Chong to share his story of unyielding bravery and defiance.

Part biography of a gesture, part testament to the power of the individual, Egg on Mao honors the courage of protest and the remarkable momentum of change.

Genres: China, Nonfiction, History, Asia, Biography Memoir, Biography

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Denise Chong is an award-winning author whose work portrays the lives of ordinary people caught in the eye of history. Best known for her family memoir, The Concubine’s Children; The Girl in the Picture about the napalm girl of the Vietnam War; and Egg on Mao, a story of love and defiance in China of 1989, she lives in Ottawa.

Reviews

[David Akin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic work. Been on my bookshelf for too long (bought it in 2010!). So glad I read it. The author, Denise Chong, is the spouse of a friend and I phoned him up tonight so I could tell him to tell Denise what a fanastic read it is. Though it is the story of the "Tiananmen" generation, the villain here is the Chinese dictatorship then and now, a dictatorship that is arguably stronger and more dangerous.

[Frances Macknight · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do we know of the Political prisoners who stood up for a request for democracy. Not intending disrespect for the present leaders, violence or
Harm for anyone, we know they were crushed. But even with years in prison under Inhumane conditions, there were many who continued their commitment to bring to the world their plight. This is a true story, with real names which should be read and known. China needs to be held accountable for its human rights clampdown.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book about Lu Decheng, a man who defaced a Mao portrait during Tienanmen Square protests in 1989 by throwing ink-filled eggs with two friends.

The story alternates between his childhood and early adulthood, his time in prison, and a detailed account of the events leading up to his defiant act at Tienanmen Square. The writing is compelling and the book moves at a good pace. In the end you understand why he did what he did. More importantly you come to understand more about Chinese politics and the lives of average people in China over the last few decades.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Denise Chong, tells the story of a man who humiliated a repressive regime in front of the entire world, and whose daring gesture informs our view of human rights to this day.

Despite his family’s impeccable Communist roots, Lu Decheng, a small town bus mechanic grew up intuiting all that was wrong with Mao’s China. As a young man he believes truth and decency mattered, only to learn that preserving the Chairman’s legacy mattered more.

Lu’s story reads like Shakespearean drama, peppered with defiance, love and betrayal. His steadfast refusal to acquiesce comes to a head, but not an end, with his infamous defacing of Mao’s portrait during the 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square.

Having traveled through China with Overseas Adventure Travel on a guided trip and having seen a wide variety of fascinating things and places, this book provided many insights not included in our tour. During our trip, we stood in Tiananmen Square and looked up at Mao’s portrait along with thousands of Chinese citizens from all over China, some dressed in native dress. I had no idea that the portrait played such a significant part in the famous uprising. I wish I had read this book before the trip. I would recommend it to friends and family.

[Kelley S · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not LOVE this book, but I learned a bit of history I hadn’t heard about before. Lu Decheng, Yu Dongyue, and Yu Zhijian of the Hunan Student Movement Support Group, Liuyang Branch, traveled together to Beijing 2 weeks before the Tianamnen Square massacre in 1989 to support the students and democracy movement and threw eggs filled with paint onto Mao’s portrait. Their actions were misunderstood and the results are Denise Chong’s Egg on Mao, which is largely a personal story of Lu Decheng. Her writing style of going back and forth in time when not needed and using the English translation of place names annoyed me throughout the book; however, it is an interesting story in history of both love and human rights issues.

[Jacquelyn]

Another amazing book by Denise Chong. She details the life of one of the young men who threw paint filled egg shells at the portrait of Mao Zedong in Tiamen Square. Denise's book is written as if she was there, her research has paid off. I was drawn into this amazingly written book from the first line. Egg on Mao provides an insightful look at Communist China after the death of Mao. A must read for anyone internested in the Chinese government and the treatment of political prisoners.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you IB Asian history for letting me recognize all the historical events and for helping me with pronounciation. Checked out this book because the title intrigued me a couple years ago. A great insight into events rarely talked about.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very insightful book on political prisoners. The pace of the story is good that you won't notice you are already at its end.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting account of a pivotal moment in Chinese history.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

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