Published in 1966, the red book is a collection of quotations excerpted from Mao's past speeches and publications. With the estimated number in print well exceeding one billion (!!!), it is certainly a record in Mainland China, if not the world. The book's phenomenal popularity, however, is due to the fact that it was essentially an unofficial requirement for every Chinese citizen to own, to read, and to carry it at all times under Mao's rule, especially during the Great Cultural Revolution. During the turmoil, the punishment for failing to produce the book upon being asked would range from being beaten on the spot by Red Guards to being given years of hard-labor imprisonment. So that I carry the book.. Just in case..
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