Final answer:
The statement is false. During Mao Zedong's era, the Chinese government promoted socialist realism instead of 'art for art's sake' and controlled artistic expression to serve ideological and state purposes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that during the era of Mao Zedong, the government encouraged "art for art's sake" rather than socialist realism is false. Under Mao's regime, the arts were intensely controlled and used to serve the purposes of the state. Propaganda was a central tool in the Chinese Communist Party's efforts to modernize China and eliminate capitalist and traditional elements, which affected intellectuals and artists significantly.
The focus was on promoting and disseminating socialist realism, where art was meant to be instructive and adhere to ideological purity. This included standardized representations of leadership, particularly of Mao Zedong himself, as well as the propagation of politically correct themes that supported the party's goals.