A Chinese immigrant who survived Mao’s Cultural Revolution is sounding the alarm that America is experiencing a communist insurgency using the same playbook that devastated her homeland—and the Minneapolis riots were a key turning point.
From Survivor to Sentinel: Van Fleet’s Credibility
Xi Van Fleet lived through Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976, experiencing firsthand how the Communist Party weaponized youth as “Red Guards” to dismantle traditional institutions and enforce ideological conformity. During that period, young people were indoctrinated to believe capitalism and traditional authority structures represented pure evil, empowering them to identify and eliminate “capitalist roaders”—anyone suspected of threatening the revolution. Van Fleet’s personal testimony provides authentic insight into how authoritarian regimes operate, giving weight to her warnings about similar patterns emerging in America. Her transition from “reclusive political observer” to outspoken activist occurred after witnessing the 2020 Minneapolis events, which she recognized as disturbingly familiar tactics.
Minneapolis as the Flashpoint
Van Fleet characterizes the civil unrest following George Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020, as “violent, yet apparently well-orchestrated riots” that mainstream media misleadingly labeled “peaceful protests.” She identifies this moment as a deliberate crisis manufactured to destabilize law enforcement institutions—a direct parallel to Mao’s dismantling of police forces during the Cultural Revolution. According to Van Fleet’s analysis, the subsequent “defund the police” movement represents not organic activism but calculated power consolidation. The Minneapolis events served as her personal catalyst for public activism, as she recognized the revolutionary tactics she thought she’d left behind in communist China. Van Fleet had reportedly warned senior officials in early 2020 about an impending “Chinese-style cultural revolution” based on critical race theory, suggesting she anticipated the violence before it erupted.
The Institutional Targets
Van Fleet’s book “Mao’s America: A Survivor’s Warning” systematically examines how contemporary progressive movements target the same institutions Mao destroyed: family structures, religious organizations, educational systems, and law enforcement. She argues that diversity, equity, and inclusion training functions as ideological indoctrination, mirroring the thought-reform campaigns of Mao’s regime. Critical Race Theory instruction in schools represents another tool for capturing young minds, similar to how Red Guards were radicalized against their own families and traditions. Social-emotional learning programs, according to Van Fleet’s framework, serve as mechanisms for enforcing ideological conformity rather than genuine mental health support. These institutional attacks aren’t random or well-intentioned reforms—they’re strategic efforts to consolidate power by destroying the foundations of American society.
The Loudoun County Battleground
Van Fleet gained national conservative attention in 2021 when she delivered a viral school board speech in Loudoun County, Virginia, opposing Critical Race Theory instruction. Her warnings resonated with parents frustrated by the ideological capture of their children’s education. The formation of the “Anti-Racist Parents of Loudoun County” Facebook group in early 2021 provided Van Fleet with concrete evidence of organized opposition tactics. She characterizes this group’s efforts to identify CRT critics, infiltrate opposing groups, and shut down dissenting websites as quintessentially authoritarian—silencing opposition through intimidation rather than debate. This local battle became a national referendum on whether parents have the right to protect their children from ideological indoctrination, a core concern for families who recognize the destruction such programs inflict on educational quality and traditional values.
The Power Consolidation Playbook
Van Fleet emphasizes that Mao’s revolution was fundamentally about power, not justice or equality—the same motivation she identifies in contemporary progressive activism. Her analysis contends that crises around policing and social justice are deliberately manufactured to destabilize existing institutions, creating chaos that justifies revolutionary transformation. This strategy allows activists to present themselves as saviors while actually consolidating control over education, corporate policies through DEI mandates, and cultural institutions through cancel culture enforcement. Van Fleet references historical communist revolutions in Russia, Cuba, North Korea, and Vietnam as precedents for these patterns, demonstrating that the playbook remains consistent across time and geography. The coordinated nature of these efforts—from school boards to corporate boardrooms to media narratives—suggests organization rather than organic grassroots movements responding to genuine grievances.
Sources:
Mao’s America – Xi Van Fleet (Scribd)
Creating Crises to Destabilize the Country – America’s Voice News