Red Guards in Life and Death in Shanghai

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The Cultural Revolution was started in October 166. After the failures of previous political campaigns such as The Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution was created from the struggle of power between the Maoists and the opposing power from Liu Shao-chi and Deng Hsiao-ping. Encouraged by Mao and his wife Chiang Ching, young people and students were used as a political tool as they were most effect to Mao¡¦s question, How can I make the Cultural Revolution spread everywhere in China? The Red Guard Army was established to pursue the Revolution to the ¡§far corners of China¡¨. Schools were closed at that time and rather than learning, the ¡§Young Revolutionaries Generals¡¨ had traveled throughout China to reinforce Mao¡¦s thinking. To promote Cultural Revolution, the Red Guards did not only used slogans, posters, and speeches, from Mao, but also violent actions to every element that potentially opposed Mao¡¦s thinking such as the ¡§Four Olds¡¨ ¡V the old culture, old customs, old habits, and the old ways of thinking.


In the book ¡§Life and Death in Shanghai¡¨ by Nien Cheng, the issues including the dark side of Cultural Revolution were analyzed in detailed ways. Through Nien Cheng¡¦s heartbreaking memoir, the movement of Red Guards had not only driven herself and the capitalists into the victims¡¦ list, but the list had also included most of Chinese population as well as the Red Guards.


Nien Cheng belonged to the upper class in China before the Cultural Revolution. Being the ambassador between shell managers and the Chinese government, Nien Cheng could enjoy having a luxurious life, while most of the rich could not attain their lifestyles at that time. However, in the period of the Cultural Revolution, Nien Cheng, declared as a spy and the ¡§running dog¡¨ of the foreign imperialists, was the forced to attend series of struggle meetings and later even arrested to jail. The nightmare began through the anticipated visit by the Red Guards. Except in the room of Nien Cheng¡¦s daughter, Meiping, ¡§revolutionary action¡¨ was taken to every instance in the house. Furniture, paintings, jewelries, and other valuables were either damaged or taken away by the Red Guards. Her suffering had escalated further along with Cultural Revolution campaign after an article from the People¡¦s Daily was published





The article warned the ¡§revolutionary masses¡¨ that the capitalist class was cunning, and it made the allegation that its members hoarder gold and secreted weapons in their homes so that when an attack against China came from abroad they could cooperate with the enemy to become a fifth column.


As a result, more power was given to the ¡§revolutionary masses¡¨ and they had employed more violence attack. To search of ¡§gold and weapons¡¨ that Mao had asked for, a group of ¡§Proletarian Revolutionaries¡¨ came back to Nien Cheng¡¦s mansion. This time, they had applied a crueler destruction as she was beaten, whipped, and treated in an inhumanity way. Besides, she was not allowed to leave her house or to have conversations with her servants and daughter Later, Nien Cheng was taken to jail. For Meiping, she could no longer go back home but to stay in the ¡§cowshed¡¨, which was the Film Studio. It was because, she and the Studio were later removed from the ranks of ¡§masses¡¨ and became class enemy. Besides the financial lost Nien Cheng had, the Cultural Revolutionary had made her losing the most precious things on earth, which were her freedom and the life of Meiping, who were later beaten to death by the Red Guards.


Not only did the class enemies were tortured by the Red Guards, most of the people in China were having a hard time to compromise with their harsh creative standard. To be more ¡§revolutionary¡¨, every element on the streets was being altered. Each street¡¦s name was renamed to meaningful Mao¡¦s ideas such as ¡§Anti-Imperialist Street¡¨ and ¡§Revolutionary Boulevard¡¨. The order of the traffic lights was terminated, as the ¡§Young Revolutionaries¡¨ believed the color red should mean go instead of stop. Many inventories such as flowers, sofas, silks, and cosmetics were sabotaged either because they reflected Western styles or the goods were not suitable for ¡§socialist society¡¨. Furthermore, the Chinese could no longer have the right of religion. The Catholic Cathedral¡¦s twin spires and the temples had been dismantled. The Red Guards had followed Mao¡¦s order to stop superstitions. Sometimes, the Red Guards seized pedestrians who did not meet their standard. For example, Nien Cheng had witnessed a young lady, who belonged to the working class, was caught since they did not approve her a pointed shoes and slacks with narrow legs. Her pants and shoes were taken away as she was then humiliated and beaten by the Red Guards. Riders, who failed to demonstrate Mao¡¦s quote by putting the ¡§red cards¡¨ on their bicycles handles, were warned In some cases, the Red Guards¡¦ actions were so violent that some resisters were beaten and killed.


The Red Guards were the group that was affected most by the Cultural Revolution since they were the cores of Cultural Revolution. Being controlled and brainwashed by Mao, they were organized to fulfill his idea and to get rid of his enemies. Without any political knowledge, they blindly followed the directions from their leaders. As Nien Cheng¡¦s cook argued, ¡§¡K How could he not join? He would have been looked upon as renegade and punished. Besides, young people always want to do exactly what other young people are doing.¡¨ Therefore, they were not given any individual actions or the ability of personal judgment. Students no longer respected teachers, although teachers used to maintain a well-respected position in the Chinese society. The book had specified the attitude of the Red Guards towards their teachers


We beat them up when they are found to have capitalist ideas or when they insist we study and not have so many revolutionary activities. Some of them do not seem to understand the importance of carrying on with the Cultural Revolution. They still believe in the importance of learning from books¡K ¡KWe don¡¦t need the old style of school any more. Those teachers who still believe in books obviously oppose our Great Leader so we must treat them as enemies


However, not every ¡§Revolutionary¡¨ had followed the same beliefs as other did from the group thinking. For example, Nien Cheng had inspired a young guard when she was having breakfast. The girl would like study further in university and said, ¡§I hoped to go to a university when I finish high school. But now there won¡¦t be any university to go to. All of us young people will have to become soldiers¡¨. Like this thoughtful girl, thousands of the Red Guards had lost their chance of education during the Cultural Revolution because the schools were closed and teachers were discouraged. Nien Cheng gave another example of the internal conflict from the Red Guards. When she was being arrested, the girl, who guarded Cheng¡¦s jewellery, had risked herself to save Cheng by shouting, ¡§Confess! Confess quickly! They are going to take you to prison!¡¨ Even though some young people were not often agreed with the ¡§norms¡¨, they could not demonstrated opposite attitudes, as they would be attacked. Mao had taken advantage on the young people¡¦s enthusiastic trust on him and they became his political tool. Without proper judgments and ability to oppose, the Red Guards had followed Mao¡¦s instructions, often involved in violent crimes.


The impact on China from the Cultural Revolution is no less than the Great Leap Forward, the campaign that starved thousands of Chinese to death. China had suffered from a long term of economic lost by a period of lag of talents. The most of young people were only in high school levels. Additionally, citizens like Nien Cheng would still suffer from the pain of losing their loved ones. The Red Guards, who were betrayed to killed and committed crimes, might have complicated internal conflicts and guilt in the rest of their lives. Now, China is launching its economic activities in a rocket pace, however, the agony of the Cultural Revolution cannot be recovered easily. Until today, the Chinese are still living in the shadow of the Cultural Revolution. The experiences of terror and violence would be haunted back to them. Despite of the negative impacts that the Cultural Revolution had brought, one should learn from the lesson. He or she would appreciate life and their survival by respecting each other. In addition, people should perceive freedom as a valuable factor and lead China to democracy.





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