CULTURAL REVOLUTION 11
Running Head: CULTURAL REVOLUTION 1
CHINESE CULTURAL REVOLUTION
The title of this story should let the reader know that the Cultural Revolution is being presented through the memory of your grandfather
It was the cold breeze, and I walking back home from work. It was a rainy day, and I remember it was my 17th birthday. Today, I am celebrating my 70th birthday, and these 70 years are like the scenes of the movie before my eyes. It is so amazing to memorize that I was born when my homeland China got independence. Coming to 1966, the day I was walking back home and thinking about the changes in the past years. I remember my father and grandfather used to discuss the changes and the anti-communist system of China when I was a kid. I did not remember what they talked about, but it was mostly about the struggle and the difference between the communist and anti-communist parties. I have a clear memory from the year 1966 and onwards.I repeatedly remember the day at the bus station and 1966 because I celebrated my birthday on the same day, memorizing all my childhood memories. Today, the scenes are similar because I am too excited to memorize all the changes through which China passed, and I must say that these years were full of ups and downs. I had witnessed the cultural revolution, and today, I think China has gained this position after a struggle of many decades, and it deserves to be here. – Let your reader know that these are recollections of your grandfather. It is not clear why you are citing the Red Mirror book, since you are representing the information in this paragraph as personal recollection.
Suggestions:
– The opening paragraph is great because it is a scene and very cinematic.
– In the next paragraph, you can offer some information (this is the pattern that Gutkind suggested – scene followed by information). This information would include that this story is based on discussions you have had with your grandfather, approximate dates you had those conversations with him, and what your larger message is – Why do you think it is important that young Chinese people your own age know about the memories of older family members? Why do you think it is important that an English-speaking audience know about the memories of older Chinese people who experienced the Cultural Revolution?
– The information in that next paragraph could also include something relevant from the Red Mirror book.
– I see that you are citing scholarship throughout. You could change the structure of this story by having a paragraph telling your grandfather’s recollections, and then follow that paragraph with a paragraph on the same topic in which you as the author present discussion based on current scholarship. That way you would be able to put your grandfather’s recollections in the context of what scholars know about the Cultural Revolution.
– Otherwise, the way you have it, the scholarship is not helping you to tell the story
My grandmothers used to tell me the stories of 1949 when China used to be a poor country, and no one wanted it to be the superpower.. It was not included in the developing countries. My grandmother used to say that the people lived hand to mouth, and she observed the Independence Day of the Republic of China. She used to narrate it was a happy morning, and the whole country celebrated because they all were getting free and would be an independent country. Further, she said that everyone was hopeful that poverty would be eradicated, but the initial years were too hard. – the Lu article you cite in this paragraph discusses the ways in which wealthy people continued to live well during the period of upheaval from 1949-1966. How does that relate to or explain your grandmother’s recollections of poverty?
I remember that my father did not get enough money to feed both of my siblings. The circumstances turned better when I was almost ten years old, and it was 1959. China started to make progress, and a slight change was observed in the GDP of the country. However, I remembered a political disturbance in China when I was 14 to 15 years old, and in 1966, it was at its peak.
Moreover, my dad used to tell me the increase in GDP or industrialization was of no use because the political instability was at its peak, and the efforts were made to make the country industrialized. The era from 1958-1962 was worse because of the failure of the government to implement suitable policies.. It resulted in the deaths of almost 30 million people due to starvation, and it was a disaster for the country. I had a vague memory of the era when my grandfather used to tell newspaper stories to my grandmother. – The Markert article you cite in this paragraph does not appear to have anything to do with the policies you discuss in this paragraph. Instead, it has to do with your larger topic – “the transgenerational transmission of traumatic experiences produced by the Cultural Revolution.” Does the Markert article suggest reasons why such transmission is important? Can you use those insights to craft your larger message for this story?
Coming back to that day, I heard that the colleges and schools would shut and industries were going to close. I remember that the crowd was coming to the college and I escaped home. It was a traumatic era because I was in the first year of college, and we all students did not have great news. My mother told me that Mao announced the revolution in the country, and he would change everything. I still have the thoughts that shutting down schools and colleges was never the solution.
Mao never had the idea through which the whole nation passed, especially those getting an education, going to private and public institutes for the job, and even those doing business.. My friend called me the next week, and he told me that father with his friends would be protesting next week. He was a well-off family, but the instability made his family suffer a lot. They lost a lot of wealth, and after ten days, I was informed that his father was killed. I had the memory of being so scared at that time because my whole family heard on the news that no one had the right to protest. Otherwise, he will be imprisoned, killed, or hanged. – How does Henningsen’s article on underground literary activities during the Cultural Revolution relate to the recollections in this paragraph?
Meanwhile, it was announced that the students would participate in a movement by Mao known as Red Guard Division. Mao was full of destructive ideas, and he urged the students of my time to be with him. I remember we used to call our friends a lot to discuss what should be done. We received a lot of notifications to assure that we were with Mao. The red guard divisions were for all the students, and they had to participate. My parents strictly forbade me not to be a part of it. My senior fellows who favored Mao’s policies shut down the classes and attacked the older intellectual community.
It was the worst era I remember because the students were urged to humiliate the older community, and our teachers were in hot water. They were insulted by the students publically, and they were asked to leave the profession. At that time, I used to think that Mao’s approach was a failure, and the time proved that the ten years of his so-called cultural revolution damaged China and its culture a lot. The students remained busy in the protests and kept insulting the senior. The goal of the movement was to get rid of 4 olds. colon old ideas, old customs, old habits, and old culture were the four olds that needed to be eradicated, and it was the start of the feudal system. – what does the economic theory of “immiserizing growth” have to do with the cultural policy you discuss in this paragraph?
The months passed, and even the years passed, and I remember not going out for a long time because the army and the red gang members used to petrol patrol in the streets to harass the people. The schools and colleges were closed, but the churches, hotels, historical places, and all other relevant places were shut down. The students were made the red guards with no civilization, and they were busy terrifying the society.
One day, I was reading a fiction book when the news broke that Mao announced the re-education policy, and all the institutes were opened, and it was 1968. I was overwhelmed with joy that I would resume my education after two years, but the whole nation was gloomy because the “red terror” got out of control, and we lost almost 1800 people in 1966. Put the first two sentences from the next paragraph here, since you complete your discussion of your education. Mao noticed that things got out of control, so he called the military dictatorship for the country till 1972. After the struggle from the general public, we came to know that Mao was ending the cultural revolution in 1976. I was 27 years old then and got married two years ago. Move the last three sentences of the next paragraph here, since you are discussing job and married life.
Move the first two sentences to the previous paragraph I completed college in 1968 but was not satisfied because the era was full of terror, and the parents were afraid to send their children to the schools. I was fond of studies, so I forced my parents to allow me to complete my studies. Move the next three sentences to the end of the previous paragraph I remember I was an employee in a public organization, and the situation was so hard that we did not get off to enjoy our honeymoon. It was the era when the new couples used to talk about economic tension, financial instability, and the country’s situation instead of romance. I did not start my family until the end of the so-called cultural revolution because I was afraid of the future and did not want my children to suffer.
I had a lot of stories in my mind that my grandparents told and the incidents that my parents faced in the upbringing of children, so I did not want the same with my generation. Beijing used to be sad then because of the political and economic tension, and I remember my childhood as a traumatic memory. My grandparents also had the same childhood, then my parents and me, so all the generations had similar memories of struggle. Today, when I am 70 years old and am leading a peaceful life with my children and grandchildren and see them financially stable, I forget the past like a nightmare.
The memories of the cultural revolution are unpleasant, and they are painful because before and after the revolution, the situation was not even good. China got its independence in 1949, and it was the struggling phase. The families could not come out of the struggle for independence when they had to bear the worse era of cultural revolution. The children and teenagers like me of that era had terrible childhood memories, and we could not enjoy life. I remember my in-laws were very rich, and the cultural revolution made them an average family. After the end of the cultural revolution, Beijing took a new birth. Mao thought that China would soon be a hub of communists, and it was the main goal behind the movement, but his hopes died with him in 1976. China was given an economic book after adopting the capitalist approach. – what does an article on caricature posters have to do with the recollections you present in this paragraph?
It was the time when China took its start towards the industrial revolution. My company gave him relief and his salary who is “him” and “his”? was increased. I heard about my friends that their families were also getting stable. It was the start of a good time, and as I reached the age of thirty, the industrial revolution started, and today, I see China as its deserving place. The people have seen a lot of ups and downs in their life, and it is the destiny that they had to see the worse years of life. Anyhow, the good years also came, and things changed gradually.. – what does a book on political murder and cannibalism in Guangxi Province have to do with the recollections in this paragraph?
The cultural revolution left marks on my mind. Today, my wife and I are sitting in a café with our children and grandchildren. The whole family is enjoying my birthday get-together, and I think my parents or grandparents had never seen such joyous moments in their lives. They always had the worse memories of getting together because of the economic situation.
I remember all these events as my grandson asked me to share some of the cherished memories of our honeymoon. I went into the flashback because there was nothing to share with my stabilized and civilized children. They have studied the cultural revolution, and after every historical event class, my grandchildren become sad knowing the situation their forefathers passed. If they become sad, how can I share my feelings of being a part of that era? On my nerves, I saw my country burning and my family passing through the tensions that were not our destiny.
We got independence to enjoy the freedom, and we got the tensions, fear, and blood. When my wife was preparing a report in 1980, she was doing her office work, and I asked what he was doing. She said that she was preparing the report on the national loss due to the cultural revolution. I still remember the statistics that almost 1.5 million people lost their lives in the cultural revolution, and even more, were injured. Still, several families lost their jobs..
Today, when I see China as the most powerful country, I owe the credit to the leaders after 1976 They tried their best to make it a wonderful country. China could not be so successful without their efforts, and the leaders credited their success to the public. All the people contributed to the country’s progress because it is our homeland, and we had passed through bad times. So, it was our duty to make it successful. Oh! It was a long flashback, and now I have to join my family in dinner, and I know they cannot see my sadness over the past. So, I have to wipe my tears and cheer up with them.
Please see the comments above.
You have a good story concerning your grandfather’s recollections.
However, you need to have a larger message to the story.
You also need to bring in the information from the scholarship you cite. All of the stories we read in class made use of research in telling the story, nothing was only about someone’s recollections. Use your research to shape your presentation of the recollections.
Grade for this assignment (Assignment 5), including average with earlier version of the assignment: B- 80
References
Chang, Gene, Shenke Yang, and Kathryn Chang. “The immiserizing growth during the period of China’s cultural revolution.” The Chinese Economy 51, no. 5 (2018): 387-396.
Dieppe, Alistair, Robert Gilhooly, Jenny Han, Iikka Korhonen, and David Lodge. “The transition of China to sustainable growth–implications for the global economy and the euro area.” ECB Occasional Paper 206 (2018).
Henningsen, Lena. “Literature of the Cultural Revolution.” In Routledge handbook of modern Chinese literature, pp. 423-434. Routledge, 2018.
Lu, Hanchao. “Bourgeois Comfort under Proletarian Dictatorship: Home Life of Chinese Capitalists before the Cultural Revolution.” Journal of Social History 52, no. 1 (2018): 74-100.
Markert, Friedrich. “The Chinese Cultural Revolution: a traumatic experience and its intergenerational transmission.” In Landscapes of the Chinese Soul, pp. 143-163. Routledge, 2018.
Orr, Gordon. “What can we expect in China in 2018.” McKinsey & Company. https://www. McKinsey. com/global-themes/china/what-can-we-expect-in-china-in-2018. Accessed 22 (2018).
Pozzi, Laura. “The Cultural Revolution in Images: Caricature Posters from Guangzhou, 1966–1977.” Cross-Currents: East Asian History and Culture Review 1, no. 27 (2018).
Wen, Chihua, Bruce Jones, and Richard P. Madsen. The red mirror: children of China’s Cultural Revolution. Routledge, 2018.
Yi, Zheng, T. P. Sym, and Ross Terrill. Scarlet Memorial: Tales of cannibalism in modern China. Routledge, 2018.
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