the GREAT PROLETARIAN CULTURAL REVOLUTION Through the eyes of a professor Journal Entries written by Mitchell
Me in 1965, at age 37
Cultural Revolution propaganda poster that promotes the destructions of the four olds to create space for new ideas
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September 16 , 1966 Opportunity, great opportunity. The chance to see Mao ZeDong actually speak is a tremendous opportunity, and many of my students have been able to make the journey to Tiananmen square to pay their respects to our great leader and to witness him address the red guards. Jumping at this amazing opportunity, many of my students have set off a week ago in order to get there early, as the old saying goes, the early bird catches the early worm. I openly supported them, hoping they could seek a greater learning experience and to help them further understand the communist ideas and Mao ZeDong thought. I’m Li Xiang Fan, more commonly known as Li from my fellow teachers and students. I teach PoliOcal Science at Bei Da, Peking university, and I am also a member of the Communist Party. May 16, 1966, Chairmen Mao, the red sun, the beloved leader, had announced the start of a cultural revoluOon. To preserve the true communist ideology, Chairmen Mao had started a mass campaign to rid the land of capitalism and the four olds; old culture, old ideology, old habits, old customs. The four olds had been growing throughout China like a disease, he believed that destroying the four olds would help clear the space for the great Communist Party to builds its new great country. He formed the red guards, comprising of the students who have good class status and believe in Mao ZeDong thought in order to carry out his plans and instrucOons. I expected many of my star students to be admiTed to be red guards; however, their class status held them back. I pity them, for they cannot choose their parents or their backgrounds, but now they must be condemned to this fate because their class status is holding them back from achieving their full potenOal as a red guard serving Mao. At Peking University, the students have started creaOng posters denouncing capitalists, bourgeoisie and people accused of relaOng to the four olds, while promoOng Mao ZeDong thought and communist ideas. Many professors were publicly denounced for teaching and spreading capitalist and bourgeois ideas, many of which were good friends of mine. This is one thing I had a hard Ome understanding, for they believe in Mao ZeDong thought. They were good people, they had nothing against the revoluOon. These posters, also known as DaZiBao’s, were denouncing good people that are falsely accused. My loyalty to Mao wavered, why should these professors be denounced for something they have never done. It was a hard decision, but I decided not to intervene, for I might also be in danger, but luckily, I am a popular professor among the students. I hope they will understand that I have done nothing wrong. Having leW a week ago, the red guards should have just heard the speech from Mao yesterday in Tiananmen square. I have already received a leTer from one of the red guards, and apparently there were millions of red guards there. Some of my students even said that it was their life’s dream to hear Mao speak and that they had never experienced anything so emoOonal and personal. I had imagined that seeing Mao would be a great experience, but I never imagined that people’s dreams were just to see him. The red guards, joyful and saOsfied, are already on their journey back, and I hope that whatever Mao said, it would make them forget about denouncing me in their DaZiBao’s. The past few events have startled me, both in good and bad ways. On one hand, I am baffled at Chairmen Mao’s great speech and how millions of devoted followers have traveled far and wide to hear him speak. On the other hand, students are starOng to turn against the teachers, denouncing them and accusing them of something they have never done. And I might be next.
The Red Guards wave their red books as the wait for Mao to address them
Red guards reciting Mao’s quotations from their little red books
December 24th, 1968 Disaster has struck, and everything is starOng to fall apart. Whole schools are closed down as Mao announces the down to the countryside movement. To re-‐educate the red guards, Mao is sending all the students to the countryside to teach them about farming and, in turn, teach the farmers modern farming technology. Rumors about the countryside say that working there is brutal, and is very vigorous. The students are pouring out of the schools as they get assigned to work in different parts of China. I feel pity for the students as I know the working condiOons are horrible, but as the old saying goes, good medicine tastes biTer. About two years ago, I decided that the communist party and the red guards had finally crossed the line. Many of the Bei Da teachers were publicly denounced, being abused not only verbally, but physically too. The red guards would run around, someOmes armed with firearms and would ransack people's houses who they thought were spreading bourgeois thoughts and ideas throughout the Bei Da community. It was going to far, and I so wanted to intervene and just stop these red guards laying waste to all the teachers. But I knew that it would bring misfortune to me, for the people would view me as a capitalist-‐roader, a revisionist. Because I could not decide what to do, I resigned from the Communist party. Bad choice. One week aWer I resigned from the Communist Party, a group of red guards, a pack of ferocious and hungry wolfs, marched up to my house carrying their DaZiBao. A group of people followed behind, as if they were about to inspect a friendly game of Mah-‐Jong. My worst fear had become true. They hasOly rapped on my door four Omes, but I couldn’t get the nerve to answer the door. The wall ripped apart like a leaf in a whirlwind as the red guards, irritated and fuming, barged in, tearing down bookshelves and throwing books out of the window. They ransacked my closet, my bathroom, my bedroom, they took all the valuables, the money, the anOque furniture passed down my family generaOon aWer generaOon. Dragging me out of my house, I watched all of my possessions slowly get demolished. A young college student forced me to my knees while another started to paste a new DaZiBao on my front. For one hour, I had to read it over and over again, “admibng” my flaws, telling everyone I was a “bourgeois” and an “anO-‐revoluOonary”. That I was what my family had been for generaOons, leW learning intellects. I had to “admit” that I was spreading capitalist ideas and foreign culture. Soon, all that was leW in the house was my picture of Chairmen Mao, my liTle red book, a note from the Party CommiTee, and thankfully, my journal, which was cleverly hidden under a floorboard. They took all of my possessions with force; however, they couldn’t take my most precious possession, my knowledge. The Party CommiTee’s note required me to aTend weekly struggle sessions, where others, even some of my old students would denounce me for my “wrong doings” and spreading “filthy thoughts” throughout the Bei Da community. Of course, this was many Omes beTer than being sent off to jail or to “re-‐educaOon” in the countryside. The students are being sent to labor, and what really shocks me, many think they are doing it for Chairmen Mao’s plan, to help educate the students about the countryside while gebng the farmers to adopt modern technology, but it obviously is just for labor work. What’s more, many of the schools are being closed down, not that I have a job anymore, but it breaks my heart that the students will not receive the giW of knowledge. The past two years have been really rough; I only hope that the situaOon does not escalate.
Chinese official being denounced for following the capitalist line
November 13th, 1971 The People’s Daily keeps on repeaOng itself over and over again. Lin Biao dies, PLA general passes away, Plane crash kills Lin, he just keeps on showing up. Apparently, Lin Biao, Chairmen Mao’s successor died in a plane crash. The People’s Daily just keeps on ranOng about Lin Biao, and how he was a reacOonary and had betrayed Chairmen Mao. This caused an uprising among the fellow Chinese ciOzens because Lin Biao was desOned to replace Chairmen Mao aWer his reOrement or death. If Mao’s most trusted person in his inner circle had betrayed him, does Mao actually deserve the respect and devoOon from his supporters? Is he really doing the right thing? AWer that fateful day, I was required to aTend struggle sessions to admit my wrongdoings to the public. People spit at me when I passed, no longer was I an esteemed professor treated with the highest regards, but an unworthy slave, just taking up space and food. DaZiBao’s were splaTered over my house as a child would splaTer paint onto paper. I no longer walked in pride, greeOng others with respect, instead keeping my head down, hoping my existence would go unnoOced. I was sent to do labor work and did what I was told, for I knew that I could have received a worse punishment. Compared to some others, I was in utopia. Landlords and capitalists, the epitome of shame and misfortune, were even forced to sit on the sidewalk, with DaZiBao’s hanging from their necks, forced to sit there for days exposed to the elements without food or water. No people had any compassion, if they did, no one showed it. Forced to aTend a struggle session every week, I was publicly denounced for being a class enemy, a counter-‐revoluOonary, a bad element, and I was forced to admit my downfalls. Then I would be made to plead for forgiveness I knew would never come. Audience members would point and jeer at me, pestering me with insults and accusaOons. Skipping struggle sessions was not an opOon. HumiliaOon became a weekly habit, it became everyday life, and this was a habit I knew I had to accept in order to survive. A few years have gone by like this unOl Lin Biao’s death. Lin Biao’s death definitely sOrred up the pot, for the People’s Daily says that Lin Biao was a disloyal and unfaithful betrayer. Lin Biao was relaOvely well known because he was desOned to take Chairmen Mao’s place, one of his most trusted in Mao’s inner circle. But now, he is portrayed as a betrayer. To seize power, he aTempted to assassinate Mao (according to the news), but had failed in the aTempt. And while fleeing like a coward, Lin Biao died in a plane crash. The details of the plane crash were not clear, and it seems like no accident to me. But one thing that everyone realized is: Why would Mao’s most trusted advisor and his successor turn against him? People have been giving it a thought, because if Mao’s successor turns against him, then something must be wrong. This news has really sOrred up the pot because everyone is wondering what could have possibly happened? What could cause one so faithful to turn to betrayal? The real quesOon is: is Mao actually doing what’s right?
Portrait of Lin Biao, the man destined to replace Mao after his death
September 9th, 1976 The whole country mourns their leader’s death, as Chairmen Mao passes away into the void. The naOon descended into grief and mourning. People were weeping in the streets and whole insOtutes were closed down. Schools, classes, public transportaOon, China as a whole completely went dysfuncOonal as the ciOzens pay their respects to Mao. I myself sOll would see Chairmen Mao as a great leader although the hardships that I have experienced greatly diminished my loyalty to the red sun and to the Cultural RevoluOon as a whole. Due to the fact that Chairmen Mao had a lot of control over the politburo, many important things have changed throughout this Ome, many of which include educaOon. To my dismay, educaOon standards have changed a lot since I was fired. Reducing both the years of schooling and academic standard, the curriculum had been altered in order to teach the bare essenOals (and Mao Zedong Thought). While this may be a problem, I believe that it might actually be beneficial to students coming from rural areas, the shorter, and easier educaOon not only allows them to have a larger chance of passing through, but it offers them more opportunity in the future. Although this may be good, many of the elite and best students were held back. I really think that this is a problem because the best students aren’t able to maximize their learning and exceed their capabiliOes, so it really cripples their potenOal future. Another thing I hate is that many of the schools completely closed down, and I believe that educaOon is the foundaOon for our great country. So not only are the students not reaching their full potenOal, but it is also restricOng the countries potenOal. Along with educaOon, not only were the historical sites and arOfacts destroyed, but the Chinese Culture itself was reduced to the bare minimum. 4000 years of culture and tradiOon were completely destroyed in a mere few decades. One thing I noOced was the father-‐son relaOonship and teacher-‐student relaOonship, for they have definitely changed a lot in the cultural revoluOon. Children tradiOonally treated adults with respect and courtesy, should always listen to their parents or elders, and should expect to be disciplined when misbehaving. This type of relaOonship had completely altered, my students used to treat me with respect and courtesy, and now they treat me like a stray dog. They treat me like I deserved to die. This showed a lot in my weekly struggle sessions that I had used to aTend. To pursue my dream of making China a great country, I believed the Communist Party has their Socialist and Marxist ideas set on the right track. China should strive to be a beTer country, lingering on the past will do nothing to make the future beTer. But the manner in which Mao chose to do it in is one I disagree with, for spreading mayhem and disorder throughout the country shouldn’t be a viable soluOon. With Chairmen Mao’s death, I feel the revoluOon had died with him, and whether for good or evil, Mao had changed China forever.
Four red guards mourn Chairmen Mao’s death
Bibliography (pictures): Lawson, Alastair. “Rare Chinese Cultural Revolution photos on display" BBC News. BBC. 13 Oct 2002. 19 Mar 2016 <http://www.bbc.com/news/worldasia-china-19807561>. History.com staff. “Cultural Revolution." History.com. A+E Networks. 2009. 19 Mar 2016 <http://www.history.com/topics/cultural-revolution>. Unknown. “Chinese Cultural Revolution” Punahou.edu. 19 Mar 2016 <http:// iws.punahou.edu/user/cshigemitsu/worldlit/dialogues/2/ ChineseCulturalRevolution.htm>. Hamdenrice. "China’s Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution – The Origins of Ultra-Left Ultra-Violence (pt. 1)" Daily Kos. 27 Mar 2013. 19 Mar 2016 <http:// www.dailykos.com/story/2013/03/26/1192070/-China-s-Great-ProletarianCultural-Revolution-The-Origins-of-Ultra-Left-Ultra-Violence-pt-1>. Unknown. “Mao Dies, 1976” History 12. 19 Mar 2016 <http:// ndynes.weebly.com/mao-dies-1976.html>.