WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.850 --> 00:00:18.030 align:center line:-1Interviewer: Hello! Thank you for accepting our interview. Would you please tell us when you were born —1950’s, 1960’s…? 2 00:00:18.040 --> 00:00:22.590 align:center line:-1 1950’s, 1952. 3 00:00:22.600 --> 00:00:35.040 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: From 1966 to 1976, what area of China did you stay in? 4 00:00:35.050 --> 00:00:39.590 align:center line:-1 Southeast, East China. 5 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:49.990 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: Because of the generation in which you were born, if I ask you to talk about memories of the Cultural Revolution, 6 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:54.990 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: ...even if you had several days and nights, you may not have time to say it all. 7 00:00:55.000 --> 00:01:13.490 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: If I only give you ten minutes, what do you most want to share with us in the first ten minutes? Go ahead and say whatever you like. 8 00:01:13.500 --> 00:01:27.490 align:center line:-1 There has always been one thing that really touched me. Because of obstacles in expressing it, I’ve never written it down. 9 00:01:27.500 --> 00:01:32.560 align:center line:-1 In the '70s I was in the countryside joining a production team. 10 00:01:32.570 --> 00:01:41.290 align:center line:-1 An administrator of the county Educated Youths office called me to the office. I wondered what was going on. 11 00:01:41.300 --> 00:01:48.280 align:center line:-1 I rushed over there, thinking it was something good. She very seriously asked me to sit down, and said, 12 00:01:48.290 --> 00:01:53.500 align:center line:-1 “Your parents’ work unit has sent something over.” 13 00:01:53.510 --> 00:02:05.260 align:center line:-1 She said, “Not long ago, we received a letter from your parents’ work unit regarding your Educated Youths profile. 14 00:02:05.270 --> 00:02:16.300 align:center line:-1 ...It is totally different from this one. It looks like the two letters were written by the same person. 15 00:02:16.310 --> 00:02:27.830 align:center line:-1 ...We don’t know why that happened. We did not request the second one; they sent it on their own initiative. We do not accept it.” 16 00:02:27.840 --> 00:02:40.490 align:center line:-1 Here’s what happened. My parents committed suicide at the end of August 1966, because they were struggled against by the university they worked for. 17 00:02:40.500 --> 00:02:49.870 align:center line:-1 They were one of two couples from that university who tried committing suicide. The other couple was rescued, but my parents were not. 18 00:02:49.880 --> 00:02:53.100 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: Your parents together? 19 00:02:53.110 --> 00:03:09.860 align:center line:-1 Together, on the same day, August 28, in the evening. Then, my grandmother kept me and my younger brother; she was 66 years old at that time. 20 00:03:09.870 --> 00:03:18.240 align:center line:-1 In 1968, I went to the countryside to join a production team. As for my younger brother, he stayed in town to work. 21 00:03:18.250 --> 00:03:28.410 align:center line:-1 Then, in the 70's, my younger brother, working in the factory, wanted to go to July 21 University, wanted to join the Communist Youth League. 22 00:03:28.420 --> 00:03:39.180 align:center line:-1 However, people said, your parents’ case has not yet been concluded [so it was not possible]. Being so young, he was naive in thinking over problems. 23 00:03:39.190 --> 00:03:54.290 align:center line:-1 Probably because he received no response from the university, he could not wait, so he wrote a letter to the State Council Leading Group on Education Revolution. 24 00:03:54.300 --> 00:04:02.480 align:center line:-1 Fairly speaking, the reply to that letter really let my brother rejoice. 25 00:04:02.490 --> 00:04:11.010 align:center line:-1 The letter said, no problem, we will ask your parents’ work unit to conclude their case as soon as possible. 26 00:04:11.020 --> 00:04:18.690 align:center line:-1 I did not bring the letter with me; otherwise, it would offer real proof. 27 00:04:18.700 --> 00:04:27.380 align:center line:-1 This letter must have been forwarded by the State Council Leading Group on Education to the university where my parents had worked. 28 00:04:27.390 --> 00:04:39.920 align:center line:-1 In order to fulfill the request, the university made a hasty conclusion about my parents’ case. 29 00:04:39.930 --> 00:04:48.110 align:center line:-1 I did not prepare for your interview; otherwise, I would have brought it in. 30 00:04:48.120 --> 00:04:56.990 align:center line:-1 They wrote, “These two people…blah blah blah” – the whole thing was just “elevating minor faults to the level of principle violation.” 31 00:04:57.000 --> 00:05:02.030 align:center line:-1 They made ten copies, and sent them to my uncle, to… 32 00:05:02.040 --> 00:05:06.990 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: All the relatives? 33 00:05:07.000 --> 00:05:12.620 align:center line:-1 Yes, and of course they sent it to my brother’s work unit, too. 34 00:05:12.630 --> 00:05:22.200 align:center line:-1 My brother was shocked—appealing was worse than not appealing. Everyone knew about it. 35 00:05:22.210 --> 00:05:28.900 align:center line:-1 That administrator in our Educated Youths office was around 40 years old at that time; now she’s more than 80. 36 00:05:28.910 --> 00:05:40.440 align:center line:-1 She said the letter sent per her request [the first letter] read, “The father of the Educated Youths committed suicide due to his lack of understanding of the Cultural Revolution... 37 00:05:40.450 --> 00:05:46.640 align:center line:-1 ...When employing this youth, please treat him equally with the others.” 38 00:05:46.650 --> 00:05:51.920 align:center line:-1 Fairly speaking, under the circumstances, to have this written about you was not bad at all. 39 00:05:51.930 --> 00:05:57.230 align:center line:-1 One or two months later came the second letter, which read, 40 00:05:57.240 --> 00:06:06.940 align:center line:-1 “This couple had a series of reactionary words and deeds about the [Chinese Communist] Party's policy on intellectuals, policy on education, and the party's previous political movements…" 41 00:06:06.950 --> 00:06:12.020 align:center line:-1 The words don’t seem like much now, but they were very serious then. 42 00:06:12.030 --> 00:06:17.290 align:center line:-1 It didn’t say, “They committed suicide due to lack of understanding of the Cultural Revolution.” 43 00:06:17.300 --> 00:06:26.990 align:center line:-1 Rather, it said, “After being denounced by the revolutionary masses, they committed suicide for fear of punishment.” That's roughly what it said. I don't have it with me today. 44 00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:38.390 align:center line:-1 At that time, even my relatives grumbled to my brother, “You should consult with us.” I was 16 years old when I went to the countryside. 45 00:06:38.400 --> 00:06:45.090 align:center line:-1 Two years after that, my brother started at the factory; he was still a teenager. 46 00:06:45.100 --> 00:06:55.990 align:center line:-1 People were vague about my parents’ case, feeling that when kids lost parents at such an early age, it was very pitiful. 47 00:06:56.000 --> 00:06:59.380 align:center line:-1 However, the way it was concluded, [people thought our parents had committed suicide for fear of punishment]. 48 00:06:59.390 --> 00:07:09.990 align:center line:-1 After that, my brother became depressed, feeling like everything was hopeless, and ended up committing suicide in May 1966 [1976]. 49 00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:16.250 align:center line:-1 Back then we didn’t realize, but now we recognize it was due to depression. 50 00:07:16.260 --> 00:07:20.570 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: How old was he at that time? 51 00:07:20.580 --> 00:07:33.300 align:center line:-1 22. 22 years old. As for me, I got lucky. I brought back the letter, and showed it to two Educated Youths friends. 52 00:07:33.310 --> 00:07:41.070 align:center line:-1 They all felt it was unimaginable. That administrator did not know the Gang of Four would be overthrown later, 53 00:07:41.080 --> 00:07:47.730 align:center line:-1 did not know I would leave the countryside later – she was just acting on her human conscience. I was really moved. 54 00:07:47.740 --> 00:07:54.880 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: Yes, really it was not easy in that environment. 55 00:07:54.890 --> 00:08:02.770 align:center line:-1 In that environment, not doing bad things was nice. In addition, she did not know me well. 56 00:08:02.780 --> 00:08:06.970 align:center line:-1 If I had been very revolutionary, and had pointed out what she had done… 57 00:08:06.980 --> 00:08:10.860 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: Had reported her? 58 00:08:10.870 --> 00:08:15.270 align:center line:-1 Right. What would have happened to her if I had? 59 00:08:15.280 --> 00:08:25.490 align:center line:-1 She said, "I saw your resume, and also know you have always been dependable.” She was very concerned about me and my grandmother. 60 00:08:25.500 --> 00:08:35.290 align:center line:-1 She also helped me go back to the city. Especially after my brother committed suicide, she sped up the processing. My brother passed away in May 1976. 61 00:08:35.300 --> 00:08:44.850 align:center line:-1 That October, I received the opportunity to return to the city, so I went back in December. Therefore, the administrator was really… 62 00:08:44.860 --> 00:08:48.410 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: You won’t forget her as long as you live. 63 00:08:48.420 --> 00:08:57.990 align:center line:-1 Right, I will never forget her. However, one thing I have not done well -- I have not gone to see her, though we have always stayed in contact. 64 00:08:58.000 --> 00:09:03.440 align:center line:-1 Now we are in touch, especially since her son also uses WeChat. The administrator has told me, 65 00:09:03.450 --> 00:09:11.700 align:center line:-1 “[What I did] was normal; you were just a kid, and pitiful enough already. They [the parents’ work unit] did not [submit the letter] legally... 66 00:09:11.710 --> 00:09:18.010 align:center line:-1 [...If they had done it legally, I would’ve had no choice.] I only accepted what we had requested, not [the letter] they forced us to receive.” 67 00:09:18.020 --> 00:09:28.040 align:center line:-1 Of course, she could have thrown away the letter, but she gave it to me. 68 00:09:28.050 --> 00:09:34.990 align:center line:-1 In 1980, I went to meet with my parents’ university [work unit] up north. 69 00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:41.990 align:center line:-1 First they said, “Can we just not have a memorial service? We'll arrange the cremation, and you can come and take their ashes back to the south.” 70 00:09:42.000 --> 00:09:45.430 align:center line:-1 I said, “You definitely must have a memorial service.” 71 00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:50.940 align:center line:-1 Then they gave me their second demand, that I had to return the letter, but I said no. 72 00:09:50.950 --> 00:09:59.970 align:center line:-1 I could stop investigating them, but I still wanted the letter to remind myself: it is easy to harm others; it is not easy to help others. 73 00:09:59.980 --> 00:10:08.410 align:center line:-1 Since then, I have complied with this creed in my life: if there is a way I can help others, I will do my best. 74 00:10:08.420 --> 00:10:12.660 align:center line:-1 That administrator and I were complete strangers before. 75 00:10:12.670 --> 00:10:15.380 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: I can understand your feeling. 76 00:10:15.390 --> 00:10:22.210 align:center line:-1 We have always stayed in touch. I wanted her to come out and have a good time with me, but she said she was too old for that. 77 00:10:22.220 --> 00:10:36.650 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: Thank you very much. I gave you ten minutes, and the first thing you thought of is this good person. 78 00:10:36.660 --> 00:10:45.990 align:center line:-1 Because in that time, people like us were just ants. Someone could have trampled you to death with one footstep. 79 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:49.536 align:center line:-1 Interviewer: Thank you very much.
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