>> Back to More Treasures

Chairman Mao Cigarette Lighter

This is the second most important thing that Ellen brought back from China this year. Not only does this cigarette lighter feature a picture of Chairman Mao, but when you open it, an electronic melody plays.

With the assistance of the Asian Division of the Library of Congress, I learned that the tune was once popular during the Cultural Revolution. Here's a sample of the lyrics:

The East is red, the sun has risen.
China has produced a Mao Zedong.
He works for the people's happiness;
He is the people´s savior.

There's a certain irony in the capitalist motivation of this sort of souvenir that would probably provoke the Chairman, were he alive. And of course a strong sense of irony is a key element of a tacky treasure.