1. Cultural Revolution
A perspective from Professor Song
Jeremiah Li

2. January 23rd, 1959
Desperate Famine
My daughter in the farm. My daughter, my daughter is in a tough place at the moment. Song
Xiao, and his husband, Shang Jie, is currently living in the countryside.
I am concerned about those two, and I wish I could support them as
famine has caused heavy starvation around the countryside. Even
though I want to help my daughter, I am living too far away as I am
teaching as a Professor in the Peking University. Famine has yet to
fully strike the city, but I can tell the impending starvation and
violence will start affecting the city sooner of later.
On 1958, The Great Leap Forward Campaign led by Mao Ze Dong was
supposedly a great plan that would transform our country into a
communist society. Mao’s rush to rapidly industrialize and collectivize
China backfired within three short years. I was extremely excited to
see what Mao has planned for our new China. Bam! Tears rapidly
trickled down my face as I continue reading the letter my daughter
sent me. Farmers and peasants were fighting each other for food,
violent scenes I couldn’t bear to imagine as Song Xiao described it.
Mao wanted this communist society to have unbelievable progression
in economy? In three short years, the campaign failed to achieve
everything planned. Major economy regressions, heavy famine and
violence were caused in the countryside.

3. As a Professor, my monthly salary is cut down every month
because of Mao’s “successful campaign”. When Mao started
this campaign, trying to improve China and turning it into a
communist society was the right choice to make, but Mao
failed to smoothly approach the situation. Forcing the
peasants in the fields to give up all their food and fairly divide
them all to each peasant. Mao’s action was an unbelievably
inequitable move, starting a new conflict between the
peasants. Peasants that work harder should be awarded with
more grains and resources, whereas the lazier ones will of
course be receiving less in gain.
Each day passes, and as the Great Leap Forward Campaign
was coming to an end. These three years was a huge
regression and Mao’s promise to make everyone’s life better
did the exact opposite. Famine caused extreme hunger
throughout the countryside, and Mao’s campaign caused
millions of Chinese peasants to die because of his foolish plan
As I saw people in the countryside rapidly stabbing each othe
to death so they could stuff the human flesh into their mouth
as blood dripped down to their necks like vampires. I wish
famine in the countryside would stop as soon as possible, and
I can’t bear with the fact that my daughter and son in law will
soon turn into skeletons with skin.

4. August 31, 1966
Off With Capitalism!
“Bombard the Head Quarters! Bombard the Head Quarters,”
citizens yelled out the window. On August 31st 1966, Chairma
Mao finally started the Cultural Revolution among us. I was ve
moved by the first step he took to start of launch of the Cultu
Revolution. Our leader, Mao Ze Dong, swam across the Yangtz
River, and leading the citizens of China to swim along. In my
opinion, this was a very significant progress, slowly gaining ba
the years lost in 1959. Shortly after the Yangtze River swim, M
published his first Dazibo, “Bombard the Headquarters!”
Revolutionizing China was definitely a very successful move
restoring the desperate famine period.
As I was teaching in the Peking University, many students wer
deeply moved by Mao’s action. Mao believed that the youth i
China would be the key to revolutionizing China, therefore, Jia
Qing organized many plays in the theatre to show the spirit of
China’s youth. After Mao gained trust and deep passion from
China’s youth, Mao quickly taken action and used them. One
morning, I arrived to work to see thousands of teachers and
students surrounding the stage like money were falling from t
sky. Then my body was shocked, jaws dropped, and I was
paralyzed. There he was, China’s leader, Mao Ze Dong, giving
speech to the students. I saw him organize all the students an
persuaded them into starting a new group, Red Guards.

5. • In order for Mao to achieve his goals successfully, he
pursued it by a massive mobilization of China’s youth and
grouped them into one organization, Red Guards. Our
Chairman ordered the Red Guards one plan, to punish
and destroy the “Four Old”, whoever sympathized the
“Four Old”, Mao’s enemies and whoever opposed Mao’s
ideas. Mao also knew this was going to happen, and he
wasn’t going to be Mr. Nice Guy and sympathize the
citizens of China. After he revolutionized China, he has
gotten everyone from young to old to obey his orders.
•
• After Mao has gotten almost everyone to obey his orders
and fear to never oppose him. Mao needed better and
more loyal successors that he knows will never betray his
beloved leader. Mao then tried to replace his current
successors to his most faithful and loyal people so they
could keep up with Mao’s thinking. Giving the Red
Guards the power of the party officials and troops
because they weren’t allowed to suppress their
movements as the Red Guards start abolishing the “Four
Olds”. I really hope Mao will have a way to seize
everything in plan or else things can go out of control
very easily and very shortly.
•

6. May 1st, 1967
Guards Out Of Control
The bright red blood spread around the floor as the Red
Guards surrounded me, taking out batons and chairs and
punishing me. For one stupid mistake that I’ve made, I was
late for work so I hurried my way to the university forgetting
my red book. The red guards glares at me as they checked
my whole body to find a little red spot, and with no luck, the
devilish grins was shown and my body was being tortured.
Mao’s original idea of mobilizing the Red Guards were to
stop any connections to the “Four Olds” and destroy it, but
the Red Guards are not simply a patriotic clan anymore, but
an devil chaotic punishers.
The Red Guards, after only one short year, went out of
control, like beasts destroying anything in their way. With
the right mind to ruin anything with a strong connection to
the “Four Olds” to a group of monster that destroys anything
with the slightest connection to them. Watching the Red
Guards out in the streets, kicking, punching and kneeing
people in the face and stomach. My eyes couldn’t bear to
stand the image of multiple Red Guards ransacking
thousands and millions of the citizens, and working, as a
Professor is very tough job when the students are keeping
track of every move you do.

7. Once the students in the Peking University were gathered
and mobilized as Red Guards in 1966, I knew something
is going to wrong sooner or later. It’s only been a year
since Mao has given a touching speech to the youth of
China and grouped the Red Guards. People were getting
lousier, arrogant, and most importantly, more violent. In
my years of teaching, this was the first time a student
ever yelled at me because I told him to quiet down.
Students were giving me an eye full of hatred and
power, like they’re saying, “I’m going to get you one day.”
I fear what Mao has brought to this world, and army of
arrogant and violent monsters.
The worst nightmare has come true, what I feared the
most has finally shown itself. When Red Guards see that
your not bringing a small red book, they assume that
you’re being disrespectful and that you’re disagreeing
with Mao’s intelligent quotes. They call you
rightists, counterrevolutionaries and capitalists, and they
humiliate your culture, family and your beliefs. Punished
the hold up posters and repeat the quotes that is a total
humiliation to your beliefs. Red Guards has went out of
control, and it needs to end soon before it gets too
chaotic that Mao can’t even sustain.

8. November
14th, 1971
Rush and Fail
He killed him. I was right about Mao, and he was a
crazy intelligent and powerful man. In 1967, after the Red Guards
had sabotaged thousands of people’s lives and ransacked over
millions of houses, I thought Mao couldn’t keep things under
control anymore. It shocked me how easily Mao could put an end
to the Red Guards, forcing the soldiers on them and sending them
to the fields to cool down and be disciplined by the hard working
peasants. Four years past in a blink as if there’s fast forward
button, and something more shocking came up on the news.
Everyone thought that Mao was the only successful leader in this
country. People thought that Mao was the man that influenced
the entire country during the Cultural Revolution, but death was
brought upon one of the most loyal and influential person during
the Cultural Revolution, Lin Biao.
During the years of the Cultural Revolution, Mao was
in total control over the country. Mostly every one were loyal
supporters to Mao but also feared him just as much. Many
government officials was jealous and hated Mao since he has
taken credit from many of them as they worked so hard to try to
improve the country but having no recognition throughout the
country. Lin Biao was the few out of all that obtained decent fame
in our country, I thought he was a very patriotic but also a very
influential man, but just like the others, and Lin was desperate for
more power. Since Lin was second in throne to becoming the
famous and appreciated leader of China, he planned a scheme in
order to become the ruler.

9. Lin got hold of the daily schedules of Mao and
picked the perfect time so he could plan a scheme that would
guarantee the death of Mao. He picked a date when Mao was
supposed to be on a train to attend some event, and instead,
Lin was there to sabotage the train and kill Mao.
Unexpectedly, the train never showed up in Lin’s trap. Lin
found out that Mao didn’t travel in his normal route, and
instead, he changed to another route while travelling. Lin and
his wife’s plan to sabotage Mao was abolished and there was
no longer any other attempts to kill Mao, because on
September 14th, 1971, Lin was found dead in a plane crash
due to an fuel shortage during Lin’s plane travel.
I was surprised but also found it sketchy when Lin
would make a simple mistake of not fully fueling the plane
before travelling. Since Lin was a very important and
influential person during the Revolution, it started to make
people question if the Cultural Revolution is the right choice.
For Mao and his wife, Jiang Qing, to save the situation of the
many doubts on the Cultural Revolution, they planned
something cruel. To humiliate Lin and also saving the
Revolution, Jiang Qing started a rumor and blamed all the
previous mistakes made in the Revolution on Lin. It
immediately broken Lin’s image but successfully saved the
doubts for Mao and Jiang Qing in ruling of the Cultural
Revolution.

10. September 12th, 1976
Fall of Cultural
Revolution
Tears shed, and yell and screams fill the country,
peasants and Red Guards chop their head off and blood was
spread across the country. On September 8th, 1976, the
Revolution was abolished as Chairman Mao Zhe Dong was
announced dead. Since then, only four days has passed and
the country was in total chaos. People committed suicide
because they didn’t believe the country would continue
without the greatest leader, Chairman Mao. I couldn’t believe
how devoted the Red Guards were to Chairman Mao,
watching them yell, scream and hitting their heads with
batons until they pass out. People lived up to Mao and since
his death was brought upon the world, they lose hope in
China because they don’t believe it will ever be as successful
as it was before. People lost hope in China, and they were all
sad since they thought the Cultural Revolution was a great
improvement, and it was abolished once Mao died.
On September 18th, 1976, everyone was gathered
at the Tian An Men Square, along with all the other people,
we stood for hours and hours for at the memorial service.
People were silenced and observed for exactly three minutes,
after, and the body would be moved into the “Mausoleum of
Mao ZeDong.” A large photo of Mao was then placed at the
top of the Tian An Men Square to pay its respect and show
the glory of Mao ZeDong. I know that Mao was sometimes a
very cruel person but to think back on everything Mao has did
in the past, not everything he achieved was a step back. I’m
starting to realize why all the people are extremely loyal to
Mao, and although his ways of executing problems are cruel,
but he was going on the right track.

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