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Chronology of Mass Killings During the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) Song Yongyi Thursday 25 August 2011
Chronology of Mass Killings during the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) Song Yongyi Thursday 25 August 2011 Stable URL: http://www.massviolence.org/Article?id_article=551 PDF version: http://www.massviolence.org/PdfVersion?id_article=551 http://www.massviolence.org - ISSN 1961-9898 Chronology of Mass Killings during the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) Chronology of Mass Killings during the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) Song Yongyi The Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) was a historical tragedy launched by Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It claimed the lives of several million people and inflicted cruel and inhuman treatments on hundreds of million people. However, 40 years after it ended, the total number of victims of the Cultural Revolution and especially the death toll of mass killings still remain a mystery both in China and overseas. For the Chinese communist government, it is a highly classified state secret, although they do maintain statistics for the so-called abnormal death numbers all over China. Nevertheless, the government, realizing that the totalitarian regime and the endless power struggles in the CCP Central Committee (CCP CC) were the root cause of the Cultural Revolution, has consistently discounted the significance of looking back and reflecting on this important period of Chinese history. They even forbid Chinese scholars from studying it independently and discourage overseas scholars from undertaking research on this subject in China. Owing to difficulties that scholars in and outside China encounter in accessing state secrets, the exact figure of the abnormal death has become a recurring debate in the field of China studies. -
From" Morning Sun" To" Though I Was Dead": the Image of Song Binbin in the "August Fifth Incident"
From" Morning Sun" to" Though I Was Dead": The Image of Song Binbin in the "August Fifth Incident" Wei-li Wu, Taipei College of Maritime Technology, Taiwan The Asian Conference on Film & Documentary 2016 Official Conference Proceedings Abstract This year is the fiftieth anniversary of the outbreak of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. On August 5, 1966, Bian Zhongyun, the deputy principal at the girls High School Attached to Beijing Normal University, was beaten to death by the students struggling against her. She was the first teacher killed in Beijing during the Cultural Revolution and her death had established the “violence” nature of the Cultural Revolution. After the Cultural Revolution, the reminiscences, papers, and comments related to the “August Fifth Incident” were gradually introduced, but with all blames pointing to the student leader of that school, Song Binbin – the one who had pinned a red band on Mao Zedong's arm. It was not until 2003 when the American director, Carma Hinton filmed the Morning Sun that Song Binbin broke her silence to defend herself. However, voices of attacks came hot on the heels of her defense. In 2006, in Though I Am Gone, a documentary filmed by the Chinese director Hu Jie, the responsibility was once again laid on Song Binbin through the use of images. Due to the differences in perception between the two sides, this paper subjects these two documentaries to textual analysis, supplementing it with relevant literature and other information, to objectively outline the two different images of Song Binbin in the “August Fifth Incident” as perceived by people and their justice. -
Political Generations: Memories and Perceptions of the Chinese Communist Party-State Since 1949
Political generations: memories and perceptions of the Chinese Communist Party-State since 1949 Hexuan Zhang Taiyuan, Shanxi, China M.A. University of Virginia, 2013 B.A. Peking University, 2010 A Dissertation presented to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Virginia in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Sociology University of Virginia May, 2019 Committee members: Jeffrey Olick (Chair) Sarah Corse Yingyao Wang Brantly Womack I Abstract In this dissertation, I examine the three political generations that took shape during the rapid social changes and historical transformations in China since the mid 20th century. Drawing on Mannheim’s social-historical definition of generation, I identify these generations by the three major transformative events/processes each experienced during late adolescence and early adulthood: the founding of the PRC in 1949, the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976, and the Tiananmen Crackdown in 1989. I address two research questions: how have the historical events and the Party-state shaped the life trajectories and generational habitus of each political generation, and how the concept of “political generations” can help analyze distinct views and narratives about “Guo Jia,” the state, and perceptions of state legitimacy. To answer these questions, I rely on two data sources: historical archives of official documents and 56 in-depth interviews in Beijing across the three political generations. I adopt an interpretive approach and use textual analysis to provide the historical contexts of the formation of political generations and their explicit views and implicit beliefs towards their past lived experiences and the Party-state. In general, I find that the historical events that happened during each generation’s formative years had a relatively more prominent and lasting impact on their moral values and worldviews, including their political and emotional engagement with the state and their perceptions and expectations of state legitimacy. -
Master for Quark6
Special feature s e Finding a Place for v i a t c n i the Victims e h p s c The Problem in Writing the History of the Cultural Revolution r e p YOUQIN WANG This paper argues that acknowledging individual victims had been a crucial problem in writing the history of the Cultural Revolution and represents the major division between the official history and the parallel history. The author discusses the victims in the history of the Cultural Revolution from factual, interpretational and methodological aspects. Prologue: A Blocked Web topic “official history and parallel history” of the Cultural Memorial Revolution. In this paper I will argue that acknowledging individual vic - n October of 2000, I launched a website, www.chinese- tims has been a crucial problem in writing the history of the memorial.org , to record the names of the people who Cultural Revolution and represents the major division be - Idied from persecution during the Cultural Revolution. tween the official history that the Chinese government has Through years of research, involving over a thousand inter - allowed to be published and the parallel history that cannot views, I had compiled the stories of hundreds of victims, and pass the censorship on publications in China. As of today, placed them on the website. By clicking on the alphabeti - no published scholarly papers have analyzed the difference cally-listed names, a user could access a victim’s personal in - between the two resulting branches in historical writings on formation, such as age, job, date and location of death, and the Cultural Revolution. -
Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party - Introduction
(Updated on January 12, 2005) Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party - Introduction More than a decade after the fall of the former Soviet Union and Eastern European communist regimes, the international communist movement has been spurned worldwide. The demise of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is only a matter of time. Nevertheless, before its complete collapse, the CCP is trying to tie its fate to the Chinese nation, with its 5000 years of civilization. This is a disaster for the Chinese people. The Chinese people must now face the impending questions of how to view the CCP, how to evolve China into a society without the CCP, and how to pass The Epoch Times is now publishing a special editori al series, on the Chinese heritage. The Epoch Times is “Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party.” now publishing a special editorial series, “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party.” Before the lid is laid on the coffin of the CCP, we wish to pass a final judgment on it and on the international communist movement, which has been a scourge to humanity for over a century. Throughout its 80-plus years, everything the CCP has touched has been marred with lies, wars, famine, tyranny, massacre and terror. Traditional faiths and principles have been violently destroyed. Original ethical concepts and social structures have been disintegrated by force. Empathy, love and harmony among people have been twisted into struggle and hatred. Veneration and appreciation of the heaven and earth have been replaced by an arrogant desire to “fight with heaven and earth.” The result has been a total collapse of social, moral and ecological systems, and a profound crisis for the Chinese people, and indeed for humanity. -
1 Cefc PM20140120 Press Meeting January 20, 2014 Politics 1. China
cefc PM20140120 Press Meeting January 20, 2014 Politics 1. China renews most western journalists’ visas a. After a long delay, new visas are finally arriving for many journalists at The New York Times, Bloomberg News and other organizations. But at least one New York Times reporter, Austin Ramzy, who worked for Time magazine, is still waiting and might be forced to leave China for the second year in a row when his temporary visa expires at the end of January.1 b. Meanwhile, websites of Bloomberg and NY Times are still blocked in China, briefly joined by the Guardian three weeks ago. c. The Washington Post’s Simon Denyer surveys the mounting obstacles faced by the Chinese media. i. “Some subjects, such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations or criticism of the president, are clearly off- limits, and there is no room for independent reporting on Tibet, the military or religious issues. But elsewhere, lines are more blurred.” ii. “Reporting on a neighboring province tends to be easier than exposing corruption closer to home. Often reporters can break news — on a protest or scandal — before the censor swings into action.” iii. “A financial journalist, who requested anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to foreign reporters, said many of her stories ended up being deleted, especially negative ones about state-owned enterprises, or pieces on companies owned by high-ranking Communist Party families. Many powerful companies increasingly bribe local propaganda officials or use their political influence to shut down negative reporting, journalists say.”2 d. 王青雷 告别央视——留给这个时代的一些“真话”3 – The view from the inside of the propaganda machine i. -
Red Scarf Girl
A Facing History and Ourselves Study Guide Teaching RED SCARF GIRL Created to Accompany the Memoir Red Scarf Girl, by Ji-li Jiang A Facing History and Ourselves Study Guide Teaching RED SCARF GIRL Created to Accompany the Memoir Red Scarf Girl, by Ji-li Jiang Facing History and Ourselves is an international educational and professional development organization whose mission is to engage students of diverse backgrounds in an examination of racism, prejudice, and antisemitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry. By studying the historical development of the Holocaust and other examples of genocide, students make the essential connection between history and the moral choices they confront in their own lives. For more information about Facing History and Ourselves, please visit our website at www.facinghistory.org. The front cover illustration is a section from a propaganda poster created during the beginning of the Cultural Revolution (1966–1968), the same years Ji-li describes in her memoir. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China 1949, government and party officials used mass- produced posters as a way to promote nationalism and convey the values of the Communist Party. Propaganda posters were especially important during the Cultural Revolution, and this poster represents many dominant themes of this media: the glorification of Mao, the color red symbolizing China and the Chinese Communist Party, and the depiction of youth as foot-soldiers for the revolution. The slogan on the poster expresses a popular anthem of the era: Chairman Mao is the Reddest Reddest Red Sun in Our Hearts. -
CHINESE COMMUNISM and the RISE of a CLASSIFICATION EDDY U Luminos Is the Open Access Monograph Publishing Program from UC Press
CREATING the INTELLECTUAL CHINESE COMMUNISM AND THE RISE OF A CLASSIFICATION EDDY U Luminos is the Open Access monograph publishing program from UC Press. Luminos provides a framework for preserving and reinvigorating monograph publishing for the future and increases the reach and visibility of important scholarly work. Titles published in the UC Press Luminos model are published with the same high standards for selection, peer review, production, and marketing as those in our traditional program. www.luminosoa.org Creating the Intellectual The publisher and the University of California Press Foundation gratefully acknowledge the generous support of the Sue Tsao Endowment Fund in Chinese Studies. Creating the Intellectual Chinese Communism and the Rise of a Classification Eddy U UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu. University of California Press Oakland, California © 2019 by Eddy U This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY license. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses. Suggested citation: U, E. Creating the Intellectual: Chinese Communism and the Rise of a Classification. Oakland: University of California Press, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/luminos.68 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: U, Eddy, author. Title: Creating the intellectual : Chinese communism and the rise of a classification / Eddy U. -
Popular Memories of the Mao Era
Popular Memories of the Mao Era From Critical Debate to Reassessing History Edited by Sebastian Veg Hong Kong University Press The University of Hong Kong Pokfulam Road Hong Kong www.hkupress.hku.hk © 2019 Hong Kong University Press ISBN 978-988-8390-76-2 (Hardback) All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed and bound by Paramount Printing Co. Ltd., Hong Kong, China Contents Acknowledgments vii 1. Introduction: Trauma, Nostalgia, Public Debate 1 Sebastian Veg Part I. Unofficial Memories in the Public Sphere: Journals, Internet, Museums 2. Writing about the Past, an Act of Resistance: An Overview of Independent Journals and Publications about the Mao Era 21 Jean-Philippe Béja 3. Annals of the Yellow Emperor: Reconstructing Public Memory of the Mao Era 43 Wu Si 4. Contested Past: Social Media and the Production of Historical Knowledge of the Mao Era 61 Jun Liu 5. Can Private Museums Offer Space for Alternative History? The Red Era Series at the Jianchuan Museum Cluster 80 Kirk A. Denton Part II. Critical Memory and Cultural Practices: Reconfiguring Elite and Popular Discourse 6. Literary and Documentary Accounts of the Great Famine: Challenging the Political System and the Social Hierarchies of Memory 115 Sebastian Veg 7. -
Xi Jinping's Inner Circle (Part 2: Friends from Xi's Formative Years)
Xi Jinping’s Inner Circle (Part 2: Friends from Xi’s Formative Years) Cheng Li The dominance of Jiang Zemin’s political allies in the current Politburo Standing Committee has enabled Xi Jinping, who is a protégé of Jiang, to pursue an ambitious reform agenda during his first term. The effectiveness of Xi’s policies and the political legacy of his leadership, however, will depend significantly on the political positioning of Xi’s own protégés, both now and during his second term. The second article in this series examines Xi’s longtime friends—the political confidants Xi met during his formative years, and to whom he has remained close over the past several decades. For Xi, these friends are more trustworthy than political allies whose bonds with Xi were built primarily on shared factional association. Some of these confidants will likely play crucial roles in helping Xi handle the daunting challenges of the future (and may already be helping him now). An analysis of Xi’s most trusted associates will not only identify some of the rising stars in the next round of leadership turnover in China, but will also help characterize the political orientation and worldview of the influential figures in Xi’s most trusted inner circle. “Who are our enemies? Who are our friends?” In the early years of the Chinese Communist movement, Mao Zedong considered this “a question of first importance for the revolution.” 1 This question may be even more consequential today, for Xi Jinping, China’s new top leader, than at any other time in the past three decades. -
Whodunnit? Memory and Politics Before the 50Th Anniversary of the Cultural Revolution Susanne Weigelin-Schwiedrzik* and Cui Jinke†
734 Whodunnit? Memory and Politics before the 50th Anniversary of the Cultural Revolution Susanne Weigelin-Schwiedrzik* and Cui Jinke† Abstract Song Binbin, the daughter of prominent CCP politician Song Renqiong, has long been accused of having played a role in the death of Bian Zhongyun which took place at the Girls’ Middle School in Beijing Normal University on 5 August 1966. In January 2014, she publicly apologized for the violence that occurred at her school during the summer of 1966. However, instead of applauding her act of contrition, rebel participants of the Cultural Revolution used the opportunity to criticize the sons and daughters of high-ranking cadres and to try to overturn the 1981 official evaluation of the Cultural Revolution by promoting a positive view of that period in Chinese history. This paper analyses the background, conse- quences and implications of Song Binbin’s apology from a political science cum memory studies perspective. It argues, against the background of a changing political landscape in the People’s Republic of China, that the memory of the Cultural Revolution remains a battlefield of divergent mem- ory groups and multiple narratives. In the memory of today, the struggles of the Cultural Revolution have still not come to an end. Keywords: Chinese Cultural Revolution; memory; Song Binbin; Chongqing model; Bian Zhongyun Song Binbin’s 宋彬彬 apology (daoqian 道歉) for her involvement in the events that took place at the Girls’ Middle School of Beijing Normal University (today known as the Experimental Middle School, Beijing shifan daxue fushu shiyan zhongxue 北京师范大学附属实验中学) in August 1966 ignited a debate among participants of the Cultural Revolution which was somewhat unexpected. -
Afterlives of Chinese Communism: Political Concepts from Mao to Xi
AFTERLIVES OF CHINESE COMMUNISM AFTERLIVES OF CHINESE COMMUNISM POLITICAL CONCEPTS FROM MAO TO XI Edited by Christian Sorace, Ivan Franceschini, and Nicholas Loubere First published 2019 by ANU Press and Verso Books The Australian National University Acton ACT 2601, Australia Email: [email protected] Available to download for free at press.anu.edu.au ISBN (hardback): 9781788734790 ISBN (paperback): 9781788734769 ISBN (online): 9781760462499 WorldCat (print): 1085370489 WorldCat (online): 1085370850 DOI: 10.22459/ACC.2019 This title is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). The full licence terms are available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode Note on Visual Material All images in this publication have been fully accredited. As this is a non-commercial publication, certain images have been used under a Creative Commons licence. These images have been sourced from Flickr, Wikipedia Commons and the copyright owner of each original picture is acknowledged and indicated in the source information. Design concept and typesetting by Tommaso Facchin; Illustrations by Marc Verdugo Lopez. Cover design by No Ideas. Cover artwork by Marc Verdugo Lopez. Proofreading by Sharon Strange and Evyn Chesneau Papworth. This edition © 2019 ANU Press and Verso Books Table of Contents Introduction - Christian SORACE, Ivan FRANCESCHINI, and Nicholas LOUBERE 1 1. Aesthetics - Christian SORACE 11 2. Blood Lineage - YI Xiaocuo 17 3. Class Feeling - Haiyan LEE 23 4. Class Struggle - Alessandro RUSSO 29 5. Collectivism - GAO Mobo 37 6. Contradiction - Carlos ROJAS 43 7. Culture - DAI Jinhua 49 8. Cultural Revolution - Patricia M.