The mango cult (Chinese: 芒果崇拜; pinyin: Mángguǒ Chóngbài) was the veneration or worship of mangoes in Mainland China during the Cultural Revolution period.[1][2][3] On August 5, 1968, Mao Zedong gave a box of Sindhri mangoes, given to him by the Pakistani Foreign Minister Mian Arshad Hussain, to the Worker-Peasant Mao Zedong Thought Propaganda Team stationed at Tsinghua University.[4]
After this, mangoes became a symbol of Mao's affection. Instead of being eaten, the mangoes were preserved in formaldehyde, or sealed in wax for veneration.[2][5] Mao's gift of mangoes to the workers and the rise of the mango cult coincided with a turn in the Cultural Revolution, as the working class began to lead it.[5]