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Cultural Revolution — news, coverage & facts — IJR

Notable quotes

““人生七十古来稀”，我八十多了，人老总想后事。中国有句古话叫“盖棺定论”，我虽未 “盖棺”也快了，总可以定论吧！我一生干了两件事：一是与蒋介石斗了那么几十年，把他赶到那么几个海岛上去了；抗战八年，把日本人请回老家去了。对这些事持异议的人不多，只有那么几个人，在我耳边叽叽喳喳，无非是让我及早收回那几个海岛罢了。另一件事你们都知道，就是发动文化大革命。这事拥护的人不多，反对的人不少。这两件事没有完，这笔“遗产”得交给下一代。怎么交？和平交不成就动荡中交，搞不好就得“血雨腥风”了。你们怎么办？只有天知道。”
— Since ancient times, it has been rare for a man to live to seventy. I am now more than eighty. In my old age I have thought often of death. In China it is said, “You can judge a man only after they close the lid of his coffin.” Although my “coffin lid” is not yet closed, it will happen soon, so it is a time to sum up. During my life I have accomplished two things. First, over the course of several decades, I fought against Chiang Kai-shek and chased him to the islands. During eight years of the war against Japan, I requested that the Japanese soldiers return home. We conquered Beijing and ultimately seized the Forbidden City. There are few people who do not acknowledge this. And there are only a few people who buzz into my ears that I should retake these islands quickly. The second thing you all know about. This is the launching of the Great Cultural Revolution. There are not many who support it, and not a few who oppose it. Both of these tasks are unfinished. This “legacy” must be handed down to the next generation. How should that be done? If it can’t be done peacefully, then it must be done via shock tactics. If we really do not engage in this, then “the wind and rain will turn red with blood.” How will you deal with this? Only Heaven knows.

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.

Overview

The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal was to preserve Chinese communism by purging remnants of capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society. Though it failed to achieve its main goals, the Revolution marked the effective, ultimately permanent return of Mao to the center of power. This had come after a period of relative abstention for Mao, who had been sidelined by the more moderate Seven Thousand Cadres Conference in the aftermath of the Great Leap Forward and the following Great Chinese Famine, which occurred while he was still chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Launching the movement in May 1966 with the help of the Cultural Revolution Group, Mao charged that bourgeois elements had infiltrated the government and society with the aim of restoring capitalism. Mao called on young people to "bombard the headquarters", and proclaimed that "to rebel is justified". Many young people, mainly students, responded by forming cadres of Red Guards throughout the country. A selection of Mao's sayings were compiled into the Little Red Book, which became revered within his cult of personality. Public "struggle sessions" were regularly organized, targeting those deemed to be capitalists, reactionaries, or revisionists. In 1967, emboldened radicals began seizing power from local governments and party branches, establishing new "revolutionary committees" in their stead. These committees often split into rival factions, precipitating armed clashes among the radicals, which only came to an end when the People's Liberation Army (PLA) was ordered to intervene. Lin Biao, a PLA marshal, had quickly ascended to become Mao's heir apparent after the PLA intervention, only to be accused of planning and executing a botched coup against Mao. Lin fled the country, but died when his plane crashed. The Gang of Four took center stage in 1972, and the Revolution would ultimately go on until Mao's death in 1976, followed by the arrest of the Gang of Four. The Cultural Revolution was characterized by violence and chaos at every level of Chinese society. Estimates of the death toll vary widely, typically ranging from 500,000 to 2,000,000.

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).