Item number: M535

Year: AD 1950-2026

Material: Aluminium

Size: 32.1 x 32.1 x 2.9 mm

Weight: 7.15 g

Provenance: Xiang Yun Antique 2026

This is a ‘Chairman Mao badge’, produced to commemorate a visit to Mao Zedong’s former residence in Shaoshan.

The body of the badge is circular, featuring a convex obverse and a concave reverse. Centred slightly towards the upper section of the obverse is a profile portrait of Mao Zedong facing left, created by the sculptor Zhang Songling in the AD 1950s. The background displays a halo emitting radial rays of light. Below the portrait is a frontal view of Mao Zedong’s former residence in Shaoshan, beneath which is the inscription ‘Shaoshan’ rendered in Mao Zedong’s calligraphic hand. The rim of the badge comprises two concentric rings—one thin and one thick from the inside out—with a bead ring situated between them.

On the reverse, positioned horizontally across the lower-central area, is an inscription in Simplified Chinese reading ‘參觀毛主席舊居韶山畄念’ (Commemorating a Visit to Chairman Mao’s Former Residence in Shaoshan). Beneath this inscription appears to be an institutional emblem, which differs markedly from those of the Shaoshan-related administrative authorities; its precise identity remains subject to further verification. Above the inscription is a recess, which seemingly served to secure a safety pin.

It is reported that the earliest Mao Zedong badges were produced in AD 1945. During the Cultural Revolution from AD 1966 to AD 1976, driven by the rampant personality cult surrounding Mao Zedong, mainland China witnessed an unprecedented surge in the production and dissemination of Chairman Mao badges. Throughout the Cultural Revolution period, badges had to be worn on the left chest, symbolising devotion or loyalty. The iconic imagery of a Red Guard comprised wearing a military uniform, sporting a Chairman Mao badge, wearing a Red Guard armband, and clutching a copy of the Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung. According to statistics, the badge-wearing rate reached 59% in AD 1967; it rose to 89% in AD 1968; and in AD 1969, the proportion of individuals wearing badges peaked at 94%. In AD 1970, the badge-wearing rate began to decline, standing at 72%; it subsequently fell to 10% in AD 1970, and after AD 1974, badges virtually vanished from daily use. In AD 1980, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party recalled the badges to recycle their aluminium content, an act that also marked the definitive end of the personality cult. In terms of variety, quantity, and scale of distribution, Chairman Mao badges arguably rank highest among all badges globally, representing a phenomenon unique to that era. In modern times, the ‘Chairman Mao badge’ has become a widely popular souvenir associated with ‘Red Tourism’ visits to historical sites of the Chinese Communist Party.

物件編號: M535

年代: 公元 1950-2026 年

材質: 鋁

尺寸: 32.1 x 32.1 x 2.9 mm

重量: 7.15 g

來源: 祥雲珍寶閣 2026

這是一枚「毛主席像章」，為參觀毛澤東韶山舊居留念而製。

章體呈圓形，正面外凸，背面內凹。正面中央偏上為毛澤東左側面肖像，為雕塑家張松齡於公元1950年代所製。背景有光冕，並散發放射狀的光線。肖像下方為毛澤東韶山舊居正面一景，最下端為毛澤東手提「韶山」二字。章緣由內而外有一細一粗雙環，雙環間有珠圈。

背面中央偏下處橫列簡體漢字「参观毛主席旧居韶山畄念」，下方似有單位標誌，與韶山相關管理單位標誌大異，具體待考。銘文上方有一凹槽，似為固定別針之處。

據稱最早的毛澤東像章製於公元1945年。至公元1966至1976年的文化大革命期間，由於對毛澤東個人崇拜的流行，中國大陸出現了空前絕後的、製作與傳播毛主席像章的高潮。在文革時期，像章需得佩戴於左胸處，寓意熱愛或忠誠。而紅衛兵的典型形象，更是身著一身軍裝，佩帶毛主席像章，別著紅衛兵袖章，手拿《毛語錄》。據統計，公元1967年，像章的佩戴率達到59%；公元1968年升到89%；公元1969年，佩戴像章的人數達到高峰，為94%；公元1970年像章佩戴率開始下降，為72%；公元1970年像章佩戴率下降為10%；公元1974年後基本於日常使用中絕跡。公元1980年，中共中央回收像章，以進行鋁材的再利用，也標誌著個人崇拜的徹底退潮。毛主席像章品種之繁、數量之多與傳播之廣，大概為中外像章之最，為時代專屬的現象。在近代，「毛主席像章」成為遊覽中國共產黨史跡的「紅色旅遊」時，廣受歡迎的紀念品。