MAO’S “KILLING QUOTAS” 2005 . 4, NO RIGHTS FORUM

BY LI CHANGYU

Rehabilitation of those labeled “counterrevo-

production to “double” from 5.35 million tons in 1957 to 41 lutionaries” during the anti-rightist campaigns 10.7 million tons in the next four months.This great leader, who sprang from the farmlands of , thought that iron of the 1950s may repair the reputations of and steel production could be doubled through reliance on the living, but can never restore the lives of China’s enormous population. those executed or persecuted to death under On the orders of the supreme commander, all of the coun- try’s workers, peasants, soldiers, students and businesspeo- Mao’s capricious system of political quotas. ple—men and women old and young—nearly ten million people, all pitched in, using crude methods to get on with the job, smashing cooking pots and iron gates, working through

I was there the night by lamplight, against magnificent backdrops of ANCING SOCIAL JUSTICE V October 1, 2005, was the 57th time I observed China’s flames towering to the skies.We arrived in Ji’nan, put down AD National Day.Thinking back, on October 1, 1949 I was still a our bags and joined right in on this unprecedented iron ore lower middle school student, studying in Xinjian Middle and steel smelting movement.As for the final result, it is not School in . Xinjian Middle School had a vast and long- even worth mentioning. standing Party underground.At the ceremonies celebrating the Likewise, Mao set quotas for his political movements, as I founding of the People’s Republic, students and teachers from know from personal experience. I was a student of Chinese at our school, led and encouraged by numerous teachers and stu- Shandong University,class of 1956, at the beginning of the dents who were Party members, turned out in near full Anti-Rightist Movement, when it was announced that our year strength to take part in the huge gathering of nearly a million had been allocated seven rightists; it was 1958 before I was people at what is today Shanghai People’s Park, but which at labeled part of that rightist contingent.According to what one that time was a symbol of British colonial rule in Shanghai— of the more decent of the Party members among my class- the racetrack in the English concession. Later, on November mates told me privately,this happened because the “quota” 11, I was among the first group to be admitted to the Youth had not been met.This “quota” should have applied to the League in Shanghai. Later still, on January 8, 1951, I was whole school and not necessarily to individual departments appointed an official, and then admitted to the military acad- and years.According to the History of Shandong University, the emy to fight the U.S. and defend Korea, which meant I was school had been allocated a total of 204 rightists, of which enlisted in the army. 144 were middle school students and 54 were faculty,includ- In this way,I became either an eyewitness or a participant ing 16 full and assistant professors. in all of the political movements that followed Liberation. I returned to Shandong University 21 years later when the policy of “correcting” rightist labels was being implemented. “Quotas” of all sorts A classmate from my same class and year was in charge of the This article introduces the “killing quotas” stipulated by the 55 offices carrying out this rectification work.According to Movement to Suppress Counterrevolutionaries, which was ini- him, perusal of the case files showed that of the 105 students tiated and led by in 1952. in our year, rightist data had been gathered on ten.Then why Speaking from my own experience, I know that Mao’s eco- were only eight eventually labeled rightists? Probably because nomic campaigns depended on quotas imposed on the lower the “quota” had been reached.The two remaining students levels.The best-known of these movements was the 1958 were the lucky fish that escaped the net, thereby escaping a “backyard blast furnace” iron and steel production campaign.1 great human disaster as well. On August 17, 1958, the Beidaihe meeting passed a resolution The rightist quotas I am talking about here probably refer calling for the Party and people to produce 10.7 million tons to the “bottom line.”According to newspaper accounts of the of iron and steel.The resolution called for iron ore and steel time, at Tsinghua and Peking Universities, where

and were personally involved in the work, tiated in 1951. I was in the military by then, a new soldier and there were a certain number of classes in which 90 to 100 per- a trainee. I had no knowledge of how the movement to sup- cent of the students were labeled rightists, indicating that the press counterrevolutionaries was initiated in the army.I knew a movement had mushroomed out of control. Deng Xiaoping, bit about the situation in society—I saw exhibits, read the who had been the leader of an anti-rightist team, decisively papers and heard some talk. But there was no one among my declared that the anti-rightist movement had committed the family and social contacts implicated in the suppression. error of “excessive expansion.” According to the chapter on “The Suppression of Counter- As we know,if a rightist stood accused of no other crime, revolutionaries” in Volume VI of Mao’s Collected Works, on April the death sentence would not be imposed, and so 22 years 30, 1951, Mao issued the following order: “As for killings— later, having gone through the Cultural Revolution in the imposing the death sentence,‘The principle is that in cases meantime (suicide, murder or fatal illness excepted), the over- where blood debts are owed or in the presence of other whelming majority could thank their lucky stars, gain “rectifi- extremely serious crimes, when failure to execute would mean cation” and spend the rest of their days in quiet desperation. popular indignation would go unassuaged, then the death sen- tence should be carried out without hesitation, in order to The principle of “suppress and kill” pacify popular indignation and improve production.’” All the same, it never occurred to me that Mao’s suppression of “The death sentence should be carried out without hesita- dissent came with a proportionately-based “killing quota.” I tion”; these forceful, ringing words had been prefaced three gleaned this inside information only upon reading Volume VI years before by Mao’s pronouncement: “There should be no of Mao’s Collected Works.Although this was 50-odd years after policy of benevolence.”Truly a case of actions matching words. the fact, it still shook me in a way that I can’t put into words. Here killing, that is, imposing the death sentence, is justi- Promotions, pay raises, the steel production campaign, identi- fied not only by “blood debt,” but even more by “popular fying rightists: quotas were applied to the whole country on a indignation.” Generally speaking, the presence and importance proportional basis.The quotas may have been imposed with of a “blood debt” can be quantified, but what standard should ruthless objectivity,but murder is a life and death matter, and it be used to measure the presence or degree of “popular indig- is inconceivable and bizarre that people should be killed nation”? merely for the sake of reaching a pre-established quota. Recently I have been researching the history of the war The movement to suppress counterrevolutionaries was ini- against Japan in Yunnan. During the war, a “poet of resistance”

Chinese authorities banned The Past is Not Like Smoke, the best-selling book by Zhang Yihe describing the experiences of her father and other liberal intellectuals during the Anti-Rightist Movement. Photos: Reuters atlas—so he tookadvantage tostudy of histimeinprison this hehadonly andinprison onebooktoread—an education, Hehadonly alower middleschool had spenttimeinprison. hadbeenaParty Hesaidthat memberand thisteacher ability. ofhimandadmired Sustillhadfond his memories Mr. teacher. People’s Education Press.We reminisced about thisgeography at the materials ofhistorical later chief appointed editorial as well astheschool’s andwas secretary, Party branch time, themanwhohadbeendeanofacademicaffairs at the tong, him afterhisarrest. Nooneknew what becameof inthefirstroundup. arrested geography waspeople were teacher inonenight.This arrest there were two tenthousand bigroundups inwhich tionaries, among thestudents. hewas very popular was absolutelyhear himteach enthralling; could draw amap ofany orprovince country from memory.To andhe simply lettinglooseafloodofeloquence, textbook, geography whocouldteach was withouta thekindofteacher He dents hadaspecialrespect whowere for teachers activists. stu- solemnity.We that time, allthoughthewas anactivist.At and allseriousness were Hisspeeches impassioned, podium. andthere was anever ameetingwithouthimat the union, oftheteachers’ Hewas chair but I’ve now forgotten hisname. my whowas particularly XinjianMiddleSchool outspoken, against him? was there his native place.Where “popular indignation” known hewas deeply nationwide respected for in his poetry, but whocanundoawrongful death? Peng Gui’ewas notonly iu,M hta,XiaoJunandDiKe. MuShutian, Yiduo, ZhaoJingshen,Wen MengShihuan, ShuQun, LaoShe, Kejia, asGuoMoro,Wang circlessuch andartistic erary Cang Yaping, andhewon highacclaimfrom venerablepoetry, figures inlit- newspapers allover his andperiodicals Chinacarried the time, and outstandingtalentinthecreation ofresistance poetry.At ranges of Peng Gui’eemployed hisnobleYunnan, sentiments Although helived inLincangCountythevast mountain of theprovincialprincipal Mianyun College. Teachers’ Later hewas appointed County (thepresent LincangCounty). inhishomeplaceofMianning Hewas ateacher nationwide. (1908–1952)becamefamous from Peng Gui’e, Yunnan, sentenced todeath.” hewas and ontheeighthday lunarmonthof1952, ofthefirst Peng wasandimprisoned, arrested counterrevolutionaries, themovement During tosuppress inamiddleschool. teaching whileat thesametime education coordinating committee, andPeng becameheadoftheMianningcultural ning County, munist Party representative military ofMian- tookjurisdiction 1950theCentralCom- OnMay 11, and politicalcommittee. hebecamedirector ofthereorganized military December 14, On commander ofMianningDistrict. and garrison security trate ofMianningCountyandconcurrently asdeputyofficerof was appointed tothePeople’s Government asCountyMagis- oetit er ae,Iwent toBeijingvisitSuShou- yearsSome thirty later, whenShanghai was suppressing counterrevolu- In 1951, Here’s was ageography at anotherexample.There teacher Peng Gui’ewas rehabilitated aftertheCulturalRevolution, According tothe 2 New Annals ofLincangCounty I 99 Peng “In1949, , andhadacloserelationship withRenBishi. HehadalsobeenaParty commissionerin geography teacher. andlater becameanoutstanding atlas untilhehaditdown pat, h aia otems eoeadbcwr ilgs andthe the capital villages, tothemostremote andbackward from and quotaswas commonthroughout Chinaat that time, bloodshed. itwould toprevent bedifficult unrestrained killing started, two years,” which hasnow which beeninforce for halfacentury.two years,” ofthepolicy is theorigin “sentenced todeath suspendedfor sentenced todeath may begrantedasuspendedsentence.”This whilesome80to90percentofthose roughly 10to20percent, thenational interestharmed accountfor only asmall number, rouse popularindignation andthosewhohave seriously who owe blood debts orhave that committedothercrimes itisestimated that those economic andpeople’s organizations, military,reted outintheafore-mentioned government, Party, quota of5or1020percent. sand for urbanareas represented areduction from theoriginal areas andonepertwoset ofoneperthousandfor rural thou- andso thequotashe would givetopopularindignation, rise Butultimately Maofeared that excessive killing in New China. than three hundred.The than three hundred.The How manywere criminals ofthesearch there? More executed. were publicly some which criminals” during “arch stadium, Shanghai’s counterrevolutionaries was heldat theHongkou against thisgeography teacher? Sowhere was the know anything“popular indignation” either. Sudidn’t Mr. for what hadbecomeofhimafterhisarrest, hewrote anelegiaccoupletandsentittoBeijing.As Bishi died, should behaltedimmediately.” somassexecutions urban areas itisonefor every 2,000, whileinthenorthwest andinthe every 1,000individuals, oneoutof areas theproportionhasreached intherural ies, “Onthequestionofexecuting counterrevolutionar- kill quota: Maoissuedanother weeks aftertheordermentionedabove, two OnMay 15, in Shanghaifell far ofMao’s short quota. theexecution ofmore than300counterrevolutionaries In fact, Killing quotas People’s Daily came to “enjoy thespectacle.” andanothermillion “observers” 300 peoplewere executed, meetingat theHongkoulic trial Stadiumwhere more than sothere was anotherpub- put anendtomassexecutions.And would have hadtobeexecuted inordertomeetthequota and 2,000individuals Shanghai at that timewas four million, . tion”? Naturally there was noneedtojustifythisthe Didtheirexecution olutionaries? “assuage popularindigna- counterrev- relating tothese300 criminal” “arch indignation” and “popular shouts andapplause.”What was the “blood debt” withthunderous “100,000citizenswatch headline, horrific andmass execution onpage inaleadarticle trial onewiththe The killingoflarge numbers ofpeopleaccordingtoplans Perhaps Maoissuedquotasbecausehefeared that oncethe a ad “Ofallthecounterrevolutionaries whoare fer- Mao said, A few days after Mao issued his order, a public trial ofthe A few apublic trial days afterMaoissuedhisorder, reported widely onwhat was seen asagreat event People’s Daily 5 4 Given that thepopulation of reported onthispublic 3 When Ren

ADVANCING SOCIAL JUSTICE 43 CHINA RIGHTS FORUM NO. 4, 2005

Mao Zedong rationalized his decision in this way: “If we organs in the Party,government and military.We absolutely have such people executed, it will not be easily understood by cannot be irresolute; to tolerate evil is to abet it.This is criti- the masses, nor will public figures be sympathetic; further- cal. (March 18, 1951). more we would be deprived of a large pool of labor, and it would serve little use in dividing the enemy.” From this we see I personally felt the impact of this “counterrevolutionary that Mao’s decision was not based on any element of tolerance revenge killing.” It was about six months after this incident that or mercy. I was transferred to work in Nanjing. In those days there were So how many were ultimately executed as a result of the ad hoc guards at the office doors of high level leaders, and a movement to suppress counterrevolutionaries? From the quo- guard had to be posted at the gate whenever a large-scale tas discussed above, we can begin to make a calculation, which meeting was to be held.Anyone entering the meeting place is almost too frightening to consider. Of course an actual figure was searched, and if a weapon was found the high alert went for the number of executions will always be classified, but var- up all around. ious estimates put the figure at two to three million. The Wang Jumin “counterrevolutionary revenge” case gave Mao even more reason for killing. Given the resolve that “we Negative repercussions cannot be irresolute; to tolerate evil is to abet it,” there was no Mao’s evil, ruthless killing of so many people naturally brought error in mistaken killings or excessive killing, only in not tremendous negative repercussions. In “The Suppression of killing enough, and executions proliferated throughout the Counterrevolutionaries” Mao wrote: suppression movement. Even after the suppression movement ended, the work of “investigating suspicious elements and Vice-Director of the Shandong Military Region Political gathering evidence” went on uninterrupted, and was resur- Department Comrade Huang Zuyan was assassinated on rected in the Elimination of Counterrevolutionaries Campaign March 13 (1951) at a meeting by counterrevolutionary ele- in 1955.The military district logistics command where I ment Wang Jumin.The assassination of a high-ranking cadre served had more than 40 persons targeted for investigation. by a hidden counterrevolutionary element in our Party had That was really a case of “on Bagong Mountain, every bush and been a rarity and should put the entire Party on alert.Wang tree looks like an enemy soldier.” But Mao Zedong never Jumin was deputy section chief of the Propaganda Office in admitted that he had committed the error of “excessive expan- the Political Bureau of the Shandong Huimin Military sion,” or any other error, for that matter. Region, who wormed his way into the Party in 1941. He October 1 comes every year, this year too.And every time came from a family of local tyrants who were struggled October 1 rolls around, Mao’s brave words echo on all sides: against during land reform. Following his crime,Wang com- “The Chinese people have stood up.” But nobody knows how mitted suicide at the scene. they were brought to their knees. It is hereby announced that you must pay attention to the following: (1) Be on high alert against vengeance from September 26, 2005, at Shandong University counterrevolutionaries.We should acknowledge that vengeance by counterrevolutionaries is inevitable, and pre- Translated by a friend of HRIC emptive measures should be taken to guard against it.This must by no means be neglected. In addition to heightening This article was originally published in Chinese on the Web site vigilance, it is most important to adopt positive measures to of ChinaEweekly: http://www.chinaeweekly.com/viewarticle_ break up counterrevolutionary organizations, eliminate their gb.aspx?vID=2437. lairs and resolutely and quickly execute all counterrevolu- tionaries who should be executed, ensuring that they be caught unawares and powerless to carry out revenge. NOTES (2) We must realize that there are already a small number 1. One of the more disastrous campaigns of the Great Leap Forward of counterrevolutionaries who have made their way into the (1958–1960), which drew labor away from food production and led Party,government and military; we absolutely cannot believe to a severe shortage of food, as a result of which an estimated 30 mil- that all is secure.We must begin to pay attention to this issue lion Chinese died of starvation. now,investigating suspicious elements and gathering evi- 2. Wu Dingyun ed., Xinbian lincang fengwuzhi,Yunnan Renmin Chuban She. dence.We should pay special attention to investigating this 3. Ren Bishi was a Communist Party elder and veteran of the . He helped direct the People’s Liberation with Mao Zedong and kind of element in prefectural Party committees and the during China’s civil war. Ren died of illness in October offices of first-rank prefectural commissioners and above, at 1950. the military sub-area and first-rank division level and above, 4. “Zhenya fangeming bixu shixing dang de quncong luxian” (In suppressing coun- and organizations at the municipal level of city and district. terrevolutionaries the Party’s mass line should be carried out). When evidence is present, we should deal with the matter in 5. See Lu Xun’s preface to Call to Arms [trans] Na Han (1922), cited in a way that will guarantee the purity and safety of leading Selected Stories of Lu Hsun (Foreign Languages Press, , 1960, 1972).