CHiNESE CULTURAL REVOLUTiON ESSAY

Zayda Cavazos
Humanities
Ms. Guerrero
March 29 2009

A Cultural Revolution
Before the Chinese Cultural Revolution began which was in 1966, China’s agricultural economy was pretty bad. “ …[P] procurement and pricing policies, pressures to meet targets, and hoarding based on fear of unstable food supplies eventually caused great disruption and suffering in the countryside” (Soled 62). Mao, the leader of China during this time, made decisions that caused problems for the nation. Other Communist leaders were trying to find new policies to help China’s economy. Mao didn’t accept that because he wanted to keep his political power. Instead of allowing practical solutions to economic problems, he wanted the country to focus on communist values and perpetuating revolution. “After all without revolution, how can we have peace” (Jiang 25). Mao’s Cultural Revolution had a massive impact on China. As depicted in Ji-Li Jiangs book “The Red Scarf Girl” the Cultural Revolution had a great toll especially on the wealthy and educated social classes.

Why did the people of China go along with the new revolution instead of solving their economic problems? Mao convinced the nation that the revolution was all for a good cause, and brainwashed the people of the lower classes which were workers and poor people to revolt against the wealthy classes such as landlords and rich peasants. “The stated purpose of the Cultural Revolution was to revitalize the values of Communism and bring about a classless society” (Gay 72). The following quote explains how the people felt about him “To us Chairman


Mao was a god. He controlled everything we read everything we heard and everything we learned in school. We believed everything he said. Naturally we knew only good things about Chairman Mao and the Cultural Revolution. Anything bad had to be the fault of others. Mao was blameless.”(Jiang265). Mao not only was controlling but also enforced laws that changed the way people lived there lives. “As a result Mao Zedong Thought came to serve as the primary guiding principle in all aspects of daily life. People were encouraged to join organizations” (Soled 77).
Mao’s new enforced laws had a dramatic affect on society. Mao wanted China to live in the present and not in the past so he created the four olds. Four olds were considered any old ideas, old customs, old culture and old sayings and any one found with them would be severely punished or cruelly humiliated. Mao formed the Red Guards. “High school and college students who were from red family backgrounds were Chairman Mao’s loyal supporters and the pioneers of the Cultural Revolution” (Jiang 282). The way Mao would influence the laws to the citizens, particularly the wealthy class would be by “accomplishing fear to the people, murderous terror campaigns, managing public opinion through propaganda methods-speeches, posters, directives, published materials” (Gay 78). That was Mao’s way of showing direct power over his nation. Mao was very manipulative towards the nation and so the people began to act the same way.

Ji- li Jiang was the main character in “The Red Scarf Girl” who was in a wealthy class and was related to a landlord. She remembers that before the Cultural Revolution, citizens would not be discriminated against based on the type of class they belonged to, but when the Cultural Revolution came, even school girls were encouraged to resent their classmates. Ji-Li Jiangs classmate, Yin Lan- lan wrote “As one of its victims I denounce the revisionist educational system. Being from a working class family I have to do a lot more house work than students from rich families. So I have difficultly passing exams. I was forced to repeat grades three times. The teachers think only of grades when evaluating a student they forget that we, the working class are the masters of our socialist country” (Jiang 42). Ji-Li Jiang’s school ended up closing “Most schools were closed indefinitely and students received free transportation and food to travel across the nation to spread Mao’s ideas and to punish “cabalist roaders” (Gay 74). Teachers were among the first targets. One married and pregnant was dragged out of her dormitory. “My very own students…tied me up and put a sign board around my neck. One of them poured a bottle of black ink over my head to humiliate me. I was kicked punched and forced to discredit myself. For the next three days, I was humiliated in front of all other school children. If not for some parents who tried to stop their children from carrying on with the brutal behavior, I probably would of died there” (Gay 76)

The wealthy classes began to realize that the Cultural Revolution was having an effect on them. They began to feel scared and worried about how this might turn out. Ji-Li Jiang’s family repainted the old furniture they had to make it look new and cheap. The Red Guards barged into their house and left it a complete disaster. Before the revolution stores would be filled with people. “The Great Prosperity Market was on Nanjing Road, Shanghai’s busiest shopping street. Nanjing Road was lined with big stores and always bustled with activity” (Jiang 21). Now shop owners lived in fear.

Mao ended up getting what he wanted but created a terrible catastrophe for the nation. The people of China suffered horribly just so Mao could keep his power. “The result was disorder, chaos, and many dead and wounded” (Gay 77). In the end it was not just the wealthy who suffered from the Cultural Revolution, but the entire country took a great step backward.