Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
“Bow your head and admit your crimes!” He replied, “I have committed
no crime. I will not bow my head!”
Several large young men jumped on him to try to force him down,
but as soon as they let go he stood up straight, raised his head, and
stared defiantly at the audience. His assailants yanked his hair and
pulled his neck. My father struggled fiercely. As the hysterical crowd
screamed that he was “anti-Cultural Revolution,” he shouted angrily,
“What kind of Cultural Revolution is this? There is nothing 'cultural'
about it! There is only brutality!”
(Chang 1991, 331)
Zhai Zhenhua, who now lives and works in Canada, recalls in lurch-
ing, harrowing detail her Red Guard days and her raid on the home of
a supposed class enemy named Xiuying:
We searched high and low, everywhere except under the bricks on the
floor, but we didn't find money or anything worthwhile, let alone a
gun or counter-revolutionary leaflet. And the woman was arrogant!
She wouldn't even talk to us or answer our questions. I was annoyed.
Everything about her—her loose, large body, her flaccid face, and her
fishy eyes—was hateful. “You don't want to talk with us? All the better,
save me some saliva. Beat her!” I ordered my soldiers.
As soon as they started to strap her with their belts, she slid down
onto the floor with her back against the wall and from then on hardly
moved. Her eyes never looked up. Before we left, we grabbed some of
her belongings at random to turn over to our headquarters.
The next morning, as I walked towards the headquarters' office,
Xiaoli, a Red Guard from the third grade of junior school, was leaving.
We exchanged hellos as we passed each other. After a few steps, she
suddenly stopped, turned, and asked me, “Did you raid Xiuying's home
yesterday?”
“Yes, I was in charge.”
“She's dead,” Xiaoli said casually.
“Dead?” I repeated.
She nodded several times and went on her way.
My heart jumped. Dead? She was alive yesterday when we left. Or
wasn't she? It wasn't our habit to check whether our victims were dead
or alive when we left them. But I didn't mean to kill her! I didn't!
Although I had no problem beating people hard to make them suffer,
I never wanted to kill anybody and I never beat people on their heads.
Perhaps Xiuying committed suicide after we left or had a heart attack
during our beating. No! It was impossible. Why should she die on the
only home raid I was in charge of? Xiaoli must have made a mistake.
Or maybe she was kidding with me. I wanted to go after her to find
out, but I didn't have the courage. It was too frightening. I wasn't about
