Over the last two years, writers and commentators have made frequent comparisons between our current socially punitive, censorious moment and China’s Cultural Revolution. Here is where I admit that, until these recent comparisons sparked my curiosity, I knew nothing about this period of Chinese history.
Having taken place over the years 1966-1976, or, in other words, during my lifetime, the Cultural Revolution counts to me as recent events, but I don’t recall ever being taught about it in school. I would be curious if any of my contemporaries recall learning about it; it seems like something that would have made an impression on me if my teachers had delved into it in any detail. Since it was carried out largely by young student “Red Guards,” the subject matter would have had immediate appeal.
Assuming that many others are both as ignorant and curious about the subject as I was, the topic of the Cultural Revolution is another relevant candidate for the third rail book club. While there are two recently-published books on the subject that seem worthy of exploration— Yang Jisheng’s (daunting) 768-page tome The World Turned Upside Down: A History of the Chinese Cultural Revolution and Kent Wong’s Swimming to Freedom: My Escape from China and the Cultural Revolution— I personally recommend the 2016 translation of Ji Xianlin’s The Cowshed: Memories of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Relatively short at 183 pages, it packs a punch. Although one is left with the impression that we are nowhere near the level of debasement and destruction described by Xianlin, it serves as a potent warning. As Xianlin himself wrote (page 5):
I fear that if society learns nothing from the collective experience of tens of thousands like me, we will have suffered in vain. And yet, setting these fears aside, I am convinced that an honest account of this period would be useful to all nations, if only as an example of what not to do and what to do.
Readers will find many parallels between today’s campus climate and the early political frenzy at Peking University that Xianlin, a professor of Eastern languages, describes so vividly in the book.
The Cultural Revolution happened in my lifetime as well, but I learned very little about it when in school. It was something noted, but not really discussed, so I have a very general overview of the subject. I am looking forward to reading your recommendations to learn more!
I know some leftie boomers who still revere Mao, which I have great trouble understanding. He may have accomplished some impressive things in the beginning, but the end of his regime sounds horrific.
Nov 28, 2022·edited Nov 28, 2022Liked by S. Anderson
Adolescents and children make excellent totalitarians and Stormtroopers. They have no cultural or historical frame of reference, they have no reason not to believe what forceful adults tell them, they are heavily impacted by peer pressure, and political kooks like the Maoists or the Nazis give them permission to break and deface things and hurt people, thus legitimizing innate youthful aggression. Watch the footage of the Maoist rampages in China: very few actors over 23 or 24, many much younger.
The Cultural Revolution happened in my lifetime as well, but I learned very little about it when in school. It was something noted, but not really discussed, so I have a very general overview of the subject. I am looking forward to reading your recommendations to learn more!
I found this to be a good podcast on the topic as well (and there are others): https://www.reflectinghistory.com/podcast-1/episode45
I know some leftie boomers who still revere Mao, which I have great trouble understanding. He may have accomplished some impressive things in the beginning, but the end of his regime sounds horrific.
I actually don't even recall it ever being mentioned! I literally knew zilch about it. Seems like it would make for an engrossing novel.
Adolescents and children make excellent totalitarians and Stormtroopers. They have no cultural or historical frame of reference, they have no reason not to believe what forceful adults tell them, they are heavily impacted by peer pressure, and political kooks like the Maoists or the Nazis give them permission to break and deface things and hurt people, thus legitimizing innate youthful aggression. Watch the footage of the Maoist rampages in China: very few actors over 23 or 24, many much younger.
I'm not gonna lie, sometimes I wanted to say to my younger colleagues, "Don't forget your little red book."