MCLC: Cultural Revolution apologies

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: Jacqueline Winter <dujuan99 at gmail.com>
Subject: Cultural Revolution apologies
***********************************************************

Source: SCMP (8/21/13):
http://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1298306/son-chinas-war-hero-
apologises-attacking-teachers-during-cultural

Son of China's war hero apologises for attacking teachers during Cultural
Revolution
The son of one of the country's most famous war heroes reveals violent
past as Red Guard
By Amy Li (chunxiao.li at scmp.com)

The "Chinese Dream" cannot be realised until China accepts responsibility
for the crimes and injustices committed during the Cultural Revolution,
Chen Xiaolu, a former Red Guard and youngest son of civil war and
Sino-Japanese war hero Marshal Chen Yi, said in a statement published this
week.

Chen Yi was also China's foreign minister and a mayor of Shanghai.

Now, Chen Xiao Lu is joining other former Red Guards to express remorse
for his actions during the decade-long social and political movement
launched by Mao Zedong in 1966. Chen apologised this week for his
behaviour as a young man when he physically attacked teachers at Beijing
No. 8 middle school. At the time, he was serving as a student
“revolutionary leader”.

In an email sent  to the South China Morning Post on Wednesday, Chen said
he decided to make an official apology after noticing how little China's
younger generation knew about human rights abuses during the Cultural
Revolution. 

“As a student leader and chairman of the school’s revolutionary committee,
I was directly responsible for the torture of staff, teachers, and fellow
students,” Chen wrote in a tone of remorse [1] in his statement. “And
later into the movement, I - due to lack of courage - failed to save them
from inhumane persecution.”

“Today I’d like to sincerely apologise to them via the internet," Chen
wrote, adding he would also like to apologise to former teachers and
staff, personally, in a upcoming reunion.

At the end of his statement, Chen denounced a recent trend he has noticed
in China of trying to justify and glorify the Cultural Revolution.

“I think it’s up to each individual to interpret the meaning of the
Cultural Revolution, but unconstitutional behaviour and acts that infringe
human rights should never be allowed to happen again in China.” he wrote.
“Otherwise the ‘Chinese Dream” - national revival and people’s happiness -
will be nothing but talk.”

Chen also told the Post that he believed different opinions about the
Cultural Revolution should be tolerated. "It’s a sign of social progress
and could encourage more people to study history," he said.

Chen released his statement after Huang Jian, a fellow graduate of No 8
Middle School published several 1966 photos of student Red Guards [2]
torturing teachers on campus. Huang posted the photos on Sunday, August 18
- the 47th anniversary of the historic Tiananmen rally joined by the
country’s 800,000 fervent Red Guards and famously attended by Mao himself.

Huang, 65, told the South China Morning Post in a phone interview that he
deliberately posted the photos on Sunday to remind him and his peers that
they had “supported the movement and acted as accomplices to a disaster".

“Let’s bravely apologise to our teachers on such a special day,” Huang
said in a post published on a blog of an alumni association for the No 8
middle school. The association represents about 800 former students who
graduated from the school from 1966 to 1968.

Chen, the current chairman of the alumni association according to its
website, responded to Huang’s post on Monday morning by sending his own
apology.

During the Cultural Revolution, educators, targeted as “capitalist
intellectuals,” were insulted, tortured, and even killed by their students
- who were mobilised as members of a youth organisation widely known as
Red Guards.

Several former [3] Red Guards have apologised [4] to their victims in
public in recent months - triggering heated debate in China's blogsphere.

“I believe everyone who went through the Cultural Revolution have been
thinking and reflecting on it, but they are either unwilling or dare not
talk,” Chen said. “I hope those who were victimised during that time will
discuss their feelings bravely, and those who hurt others will sincerely
reflect on their misdeeds and apologise to their victims.”

Chen’s statement made headlines and went viral on Wednesday on China’s
social media sites and forums, eliciting hundreds of thousands of posts
and comments. While Chinese media noted Chen’s “princeling” background,
many readers commended him for his courage, urging more former Red Guards
to apologise.

“How many more Red Guards who committed violent attacks remain unrepentant
while leading our government?,” a microblogger wrote.

“We can only force the organisation to apologise if we each start
repenting,” another wrote.

Links:
[1] http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_59b9ea270101hr6d.html
[2] http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_59b9ea270101hqst.html
[3] 
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1256747/former-red-guard-apologises-
his-victims-cultural-revolution
[4] 
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1294947/former-red-guard-regrets-cau
sing-mothers-death-during-cultural-revolution
[5] 
http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1297429/remorse-over-cu
ltural-revolution-sparks-media-debate