Mango Shrine – Glass, A glass mango from the early years of the Cultural Revolution - presented in its original glass display dome, the reliquary with red enamel decorative lettering wishing longevity for Chairman Mao, on its original round green moulded glass base, mango length 139 mm, dome and base 20cm high, diameter of base 17cm, c.1968.

Notes:
The cult of the Mango was a short-lived phenomenon sparked by re-gifting of mangoes from Pakistan originally given to Chairman Mao but afterwards presented to the Worker-Peasant Propaganda Teams which had tried to maintain peace between rival Red Guards at Qinghua University. The imagery of mangoes was in vogue for about a year and regularly used in utilitarian artifacts. They became so revered and venerated that during National Day (October 1st) celebrations in 1968, a statue of Mao was followed by an entire float of mangoes paraded in Tiananmen Square.