NINE The Temple Tragedy of the Cultural Revolution

Wang Liang

Translated by Curtis Dean Smith

THE AUGUST 26 INCIDENT

In August 1966, anything was possible. The destruction of the "Four 0 lds" ( si­ jiu 12:9 [8) was growing ever increasingly fierce. 1 The leaders of County felt an enormous threat because their county was the home of Confucius, symbol of ancient Chinese culture. Located on this ancient land were such cultural relics as the Three Kong Sites (san Kong .=.JL)-the Temple to Confucius (Kongmiao JLJEa), the Kong Mansion (Kongfu JLJ&), and the Kong Cemetery (Konglin JL#)-the Temple to Hui ~@],and the Temple to the Duke of Zhou ffl11}. According to the logic of the Red Guards, all of these were examples of the Four Olds and should be destroyed. The Qufu County Communist Party decided to appoint Deputy County Chief Cui Xuyi, who was also secretary of the Party Support Section attached to the Cultural Relics Management Committee, and Deputy County Magis-

My thanks to Jing Jun, who edited the original Chinese version of this essay, and to Judy W ol£ who edited the English translation. 1. The campaign against the Four Olds (old ideology, culture, customs, and habits) was launched in the summer of 1966 and was later criticized as insufficiently radical after the Red Guards began their attack on the Party apparatus. The Confucius Temple Tragedy of the Cultural Revolution 377 trate Wang Huatian to sit on the Cultural Relics Management Committee, in order to strengthen the leadership of the committee and prevent the Red Guards from damaging cultural relics such as the Three Kong Sites. Late at night on August 23, news came that the Tafan Naval Academy Red Guards had stormed the peak of nearby Mount T ai, destroying stelae and engravings on the cliffs, and were threatening to destroy the Four Olds of Qufu next. At approximately the same moment, Qufu County Commit~ tee Secretary Li Xiu received a telephone call from the party committee sec~ retary ofYao Village Commune, which lay along the Tianjin-Pukou rail~ road line, reporting that the Tafan Naval Academy Red Guards were advancing on Qufu with the intent of destroying the Three Kong Sites. The leaders of the Qufu County Committee and Qufu County People's Committee were woken from their sleep and sent to all units and schools to prepare defensive measures. That night, students of Qufu First Middle School posted banners on the main gate of the Temple to Confucius with slogans such as:

"Long live the proletarian Cultural Revolution!" "Long live the dictatorship of the Proletariat!" "Emergency brigades arise, prevent all destructive activities of the class enemies!"

The students also blocked the eastern and western gates to the temple grounds. Students of Qufu Normal University covered the ground before the front gate of the Kong Mansion with banners, leaving only a narrow pas~ sage and threatening to punish anyone who stepped on their banners. Some local Red Guards also stood watch at the south, north, and west gates. The agricultural organization of the municipal commune guarded the entrance to the Kong Mansion. They did not have time to make Red Guard armbands; instead, they hung pieces of red cloth on their chests with "We are poor farmers" written on them. In an instant, all of Qufu was roaring as ifa great enemy were approaching. On August 24, the Qufu County Committee called a meeting of the mu~ nicipal commune representatives, the supervisor of security, and the supervi~ sors of the county organizations and enterprise units. County Committee Secretary Li Xiu said: "According to the State Council, the Temple to Con~ fucius, the Kong Mansion, and the Kong Cemetery are national property, listed as the nation's protected cultural units. These sites are truly invaluable