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"You may not believe in me, you may doubt me, but you may not doubt the Communist Party."

WEBVTT


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Interviewer: First, I’d like to know which decade you
were born in.

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The early 1960s.

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Interviewer: Then, from 1966 to 1976, where did you live
in China?

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In Anhui Province—along the two sides of the Huai
River.

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Interviewer: What are the memories [of the Cultural
Revolution] you’d most like to share with us, the deepest memories?

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Actually, I think that at the time the Cultural Revolution
started in 1966, I’d already begun to have memories.

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Our family—you’ve started recording, right? Just like
the nation, [our family] experienced a complicated series of events, on an
epic scale.

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That is, in all, our family’s fate was closely linked to
that of the nation.

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You could say they were completely bound together.

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First, my parents had previously been in the army.

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My father had been a relatively high-ranking officer.

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Later, the army introduced my mother [to my father], and
the two of them got married.

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My mom was eight or nine years younger than my father. She
was also in the army.

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They were very happy after they got married.

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I have three older brothers, each with one year’s
difference in age between them.

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[Their names are all similar], and they’re each just one
year apart.

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After the Cultural Revolution came along, my father was
attacked.

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It’s because when serving as Communist party high
official, he’d once been held captive by the Kuomintang
[Nationalists].

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[He’d been] taken to Shangrao concentration camp.

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Shangrao, in Jiangxi [province], had a concentration camp,
a jail for the Kuomintang’s political prisoners.

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[My father] had been locked up there, and was rescued
later on.

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This period of [his] history was actually totally
innocent, but after the Cultural Revolution came along—

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[During] the Cultural Revolution, a lot of black-and-white
[issues] were turned upside-down.

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Right and wrong were totally mixed-up.

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In China’s history, the Cultural Revolution was
really—how can I put it?

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It was a disaster for our family. It was also a disaster
for all of China.

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[During] those 10 years, [China] greatly regressed.

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In those 10 years, many families fell apart.

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Some families were exterminated; husbands and wives became
enemies; children turned their backs on one another.

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Anyway, all different kinds of situations emerged.

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Our family, for instance: at the time, my father was
labeled a traitor, a historical counter-revolutionary.

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In the beginning, [he was] seized and struggled against,
[made to kneel in] “jet plane style.”

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He was struggled against every day. Later, my mom thought
this was not right.

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She believed absolutely that this was not right, so she
went to Beijing, preparing to complain to higher authorities.

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My mom’s comrade-in-arms was Liu Shaoqi’s garrison
section chief, Section Chief Ma.

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At the time, this Section Chief Ma just said, “Don’t
come here to complain now...

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...There's no use—right now, the central authorities are
in total disarray...

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...Hurry back, and first settle [your husband] down, first
protect [his] life—that’s most important.”

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My mom just rode on a coal train that night, for 18 hours;
at that time, all trains were slow; [it took] 18 hours on the coal train to
get back home.

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[She] told my uncle to send my father away that very
night.

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[She said] no matter who came to take him away, don’t
hand him over.

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I must mention that our family had a dog named Saihu.

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Previously, [my father’s] coworkers, these “uncles,”
had all been very respectful of my dad.

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But then, when they suddenly came to our house to take my
father away, the dog leapt onto them and tried to bite them.

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At the time, one of my older brothers thought, how can
this dog be so ignorant of good manners? This is “Uncle” Li,
“Uncle” Zhang, and “Uncle” Wang!

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When my dad came back home, his body had green and purple
[bruises] all over it. He just pet that dog.

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Only then did my brother understand, that dog knew those
people were bad people.

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So, at the time, under these sorts of circumstances, my
mom thought it was no good—she had to send my dad away.

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Especially after getting Section Chief Ma’s [opinion].
She got back home and sent my father away.

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[She sent my dad] back to his hometown, to the former
soldiers’ base, the place where my father had engaged in guerilla
warfare.

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The people there had pledged their lives to help one
another.

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Thankfully, at the time, technology was not as advanced as
it is today, and transportation was not as developed.

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Those people who went looking for [my father] could only
go by bicycle.

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Every time they went, the locals would let the air out of
the [bicycles’] tires.

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They said, “What issue does [that guy] have? He is the
best Communist party [official] we know...

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...[He] protected us and fought off [the Japanese].”
They had only good memories [of him].

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Actually, in the beginning, the government was quite good
to our family. My father’s rank [was high]; our family had three
nannies.

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Among them, two were wet nurses, who had breastfed my
older brothers.

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[Another] one cooked; there were three [in all]. We all
called them “second moms.”

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After my father left, a freeze on deposit bank accounts
began; wages stopped being issued. The economic situation at the time was
dire.

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My mom was resolute—[she] was such an amazing
person.

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During a family meeting, she said to the nannies, “Now,
each of you grab a hemp bag, and take anything from the house you can take.
Take it all away.”

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The nannies said, “We can’t leave you all!”

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[My mom] said, “I can’t pay you.”

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[The nannies] said, “It doesn’t matter whether you pay
us or not—we can’t leave you; you are our family.”

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My mom said, "No, you have to leave." Not only did they
have to leave, but anything from the house they could take, they should
take.

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"Perhaps in the future our family will need to depend on
you," [my mom said]. "[We] might run away to wherever you are going."

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After she sent them away, my mom had a meeting with us
kids. At the time, I was really small, maybe four or five years old.

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[My mom] said, “There are three rules: you will not
steal, you will not rob, and you will not go licking plates in
restaurants.”

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Because with nothing to eat, [people would] go to
restaurants to beg for food, and lick the plates. None of this was
allowed.

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She was really an amazing woman, an amazing mother.

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She just took us kids out to a rural village where people
had finished digging carrot, taro, and sweet
potato [红薯].

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She took us to dig again; there were still [vegetables] in
the ground that we dug up and took home to eat.

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Before, we had bought firewood and coal to burn.

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Now, we were picking firewood ourselves, collecting coal
slag—coals that people had burned, which could be collected [and burned
again].

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I remember very clearly, my old brothers would catch fish.
Each person had a net for collecting them.

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My maternal grandmother’s home was on the banks of the
Hui River; [they] had eaten fish since [they]  were young.

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One day, my second eldest brother and I went to catch
fish. It was interesting.

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We took a pie. In the end, we fished until midday, but
[only caught] really small fish.

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My eldest brother would sometimes catch a big fish that
could not only be eaten, but also be sold.

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[But that day], we didn’t catch any fish. We couldn’t
bear to eat that pie.

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After midday, we suddenly caught a white fish called a
“pouting silver carp” [because its] mouth sticks out.

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We were so happy we were dancing around, overjoyed.

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Then, we divided up the pie and ate it. I feel this was a
unique memory.

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Another memory is that at the time, the rebel faction was
making trouble for a period of time; no one knew what would happen from one
minute to the next.

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There was violent struggle in the streets, bloody
fighting, [people] parading through the streets waving bloody
clothing—everything.

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I still remember carrying a basin [to buy salt].

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At the time you needed a [ration] ticket to buy salt; you
needed a [ration] ticket for everything.

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We had to be careful just leaving the house.

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The rebel faction said to my mom, “You must divorce XXX.
He is a traitor.”

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At that time, my brothers had all been forced out of
school; they weren’t allowed to go to school.

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[The rebel faction said], “If you get divorced, your
children can go to school...

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...If not, they can’t go to school, and you will not be
able to use the money you have in the bank.”

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On this point, I feel my mom was so incredible.

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I believe that no matter the circumstances, people must
not lose their resolve, their integrity, and their righteousness.

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[My mother] said, “I firmly believe comrade XXX is a
good person. You know what? He most certainly would not betray the Party
[or] the People. I will not divorce him.”

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[The rebel faction] said, “If you won’t divorce,
you’ll be sent to the ‘mass dictatorship headquarters.’”

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That was like a detention center.

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[My mother] said, “No matter where you send me, [I
won’t get a divorce].”

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At the time, the rebel faction of my mom’s work unit was
also thinking of ways to torment her.

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[They] held a struggle meeting and told her, “You must
divorce him! If you do not do so--”

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At that time, we lived in a basement. As soon as it
started raining, water would come into the room, so we couldn’t live
there.

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So, we moved upstairs to a [room] that was like a
propaganda office.

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There was a cabinet in there that had Chairman Mao
portraits and all kinds of propaganda pictures in it. But the glass door
[of the room] was broken.

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When it rained, my mom would move that cabinet over to
block the rain.

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As a result, [her work unit’s rebel faction] seized upon
this mistake, saying, “How can you use this to block the rain—what kind
of character issue is this?!...

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00:09:18.550 --> 00:09:23.410  align:center  line:-1
...If the Chairman’s portrait were to fall on the
ground, and people stepped on it, this is opposition to Chairman
Mao!”

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Back then, groundless [accusations] were quite common.

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One of my second eldest brother’s classmates, a little
kid, an elementary school student we called Black Hair was once walking on
the street carrying a bamboo pole.

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The Chairman’s portraits and statues were all along the
street. [This boy] wasn’t careful, and his pole jabbed Chairman Mao’s
eye.

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As a result, he [was labeled] an [active]
counter-revolutionary.

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Turned into a little counter-revolutionary, and sent to
the “mass dictatorship headquarters.”

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His younger brother took food to him for a long time. At
that time, no one could speak of reason.

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I remember, when I was in fourth grade, our class had a
kid named XXX.

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Kids sometimes have rebellious minds. [People] kept
telling him to yell, “Long live Chairman Mao! Long live Chairman
Mao!”

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To be contrary, he wrote, “Down with Chairman Mao” in
the restroom.

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So, the Public Safety Bureau checked [to see who’d done
it] and found out it was [him].

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Later, a small rebel group was organized to criticize
him.

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I still remember my line at the time: “XXX, you who have
never seen the circumstances of revolution,...

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...whose mind has been captivated by the lies of Liu
Shaoqi and other swindlers, you have maliciously attacked our great leader
Chairman Mao.”

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That was a completely crazy era. People were all
crazy.

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Our family’s [life] became more and more difficult. The
rebel faction came every day to look for my dad.

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00:10:39.490 --> 00:10:49.030  align:center  line:-1
[When] they couldn’t find him, they beat up my brothers.
That dog—that is, Saihu—the same [name] as my dog today—would jump up
and bite them.

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Later on, they had Saihu killed. I clearly remember, on
that day my maternal grandmother and I saw it out the window.

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Saihu was such a good dog. [During] the Cultural
Revolution, my mom was sent to sell tickets at the movie theater.

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You know, she sold tickets at the movie theater; when the
movie ended, it was quite late at night before she could leave, 10
o’clock.

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It was dark, and she had to walk a long route to get home.
In the middle [of her route] was a bridge.

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Saihu would always wait under the bridge. When my mom came
along, he’d run up, and accompany her on the second half of the
route.

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But during the Cultural Revolution, the rebel faction
strangled Saihu.

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My brothers have written a couple of books about this dog,
Saihu, an incredibly good dog.

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My mother passed away in 2006. Later [after the Cultural
Revolution] she was a judge. She was a person with a strong sense of
justice.

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Later she retired, and passed away.

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After the funeral, my siblings and I—eight of us—sat
and talked with my maternal uncle, who was also a high official in the army
who after retirement served as Chief of the Foreign Trade Bureau.

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[I] said I thought my mom was an incredible person, a
great mother.

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So many people, so many families fell apart during the
Cultural Revolution, [yet] she was loyal to my father.

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[Every] two years, our family was [made to move from one
place to another].

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She [said] we must be together; a family must not be
separated. That was the first thing.

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The second thing was that we were not only in good
physical health, [but also had a good future].

139
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In the latter stage of the Cultural Revolution, my dad was
safe, and could come out [of hiding].

140
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All of my older brothers passed the university entrance
exams to study medicine and law, but they were not [allowed to attend
university].

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[This is because] it was said [our father] was a
historical counter-revolutionary, a traitor.

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[They] also weren’t allowed to serve in the
military.

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Later, after my dad was rehabilitated, my brothers retook
the university entrance exam.

144
00:12:48.000 --> 00:12:51.990  align:center  line:-1
Though it was quite late, they all graduated from
university.

145
00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:56.930  align:center  line:-1
All eight of us siblings are university graduates;
what’s more, we all have very good work positions.

146
00:12:56.940 --> 00:13:04.790  align:center  line:-1
As my little brother said, “We are all like little
stars; we all have our own piece of sky, and shine our own light.”

147
00:13:04.800 --> 00:13:08.770  align:center  line:-1
All of this is because we had an absolutely amazing
mother.

148
00:13:08.780 --> 00:13:17.290  align:center  line:-1
I remember, at the time when we could not live in the
Cultural and Education Bureau residence compound,...

149
00:13:17.300 --> 00:13:23.120  align:center  line:-1
...we first moved to an old woman’s [home] in the
suburbs, a small room that could only fit one bed.

150
00:13:23.130 --> 00:13:25.970  align:center  line:-1
[We] stayed two or three nights and moved again; it
wasn’t safe.

151
00:13:25.980 --> 00:13:30.410  align:center  line:-1
At the time we [already had] six kids in the
family—whose family could support that many?

152
00:13:30.420 --> 00:13:37.870  align:center  line:-1
Later on, my mom separated us, [sending] one child each to
relatives in the east, the west, one each to friends and relatives here and
there.

153
00:13:37.880 --> 00:13:43.470  align:center  line:-1
At the time, I [lived] in a rural village with an older
sister. Actually, she was [a daughter] of my father’s first wife.

154
00:13:43.480 --> 00:13:47.390  align:center  line:-1
My father’s marriage to his first wife was arranged by
their families, and his first wife died later.

155
00:13:47.400 --> 00:13:53.590  align:center  line:-1
That sister and her husband had their own children by that
time, as far as I remember. I stayed in their home for a period of
time.

156
00:13:53.600 --> 00:13:59.690  align:center  line:-1
I remember one evening, my mom came to see me. We were
making dumplings to eat that night.

157
00:13:59.700 --> 00:14:08.080  align:center  line:-1
Now, when think of that evening, I just think of an oil
lamp. There were no electric lights, just an oil lamp, this small.

158
00:14:08.090 --> 00:14:14.620  align:center  line:-1
My sister’s husband sat across from me; I don’t know
what joke he was telling, but he laughed until his nose was running and his
eyes teared up.

159
00:14:14.630 --> 00:14:21.510  align:center  line:-1
[I] felt it was so warm and cozy, in the dark with this
tiny oil lamp, so cozy, so happy.

160
00:14:21.520 --> 00:14:26.810  align:center  line:-1
That night, my mom slept together with me. The next
morning, when I got up, my mom was already gone.

161
00:14:26.820 --> 00:14:32.940  align:center  line:-1
She had gone to see another of her kids. She had to move
around very early in the morning or late at the night, for fear others
would see her.

162
00:14:32.950 --> 00:14:39.050  align:center  line:-1
[If] someone else saw her, [that person] might follow her
tracks and find everyone, find the other kids, find my dad.

163
00:14:39.060 --> 00:14:41.440  align:center  line:-1
The important thing was protecting my dad.

164
00:14:41.450 --> 00:14:44.780  align:center  line:-1
I remember, when we sent my father to where my older
brother was, it was a pitch-black night.

165
00:14:44.790 --> 00:14:50.640  align:center  line:-1
[We walked with] two of us in front, two in back, and two
in the middle, to protect my dad.

166
00:14:50.650 --> 00:14:59.030  align:center  line:-1
That was a respect and love for our parents that came from
the heart. I feel a regret that today’s kids seem to lack this
characteristic.

167
00:14:59.040 --> 00:15:08.280  align:center  line:-1
At the time, the streets were filled with Wanted posters,
orders to arrest my dad. We just went and tore them all down.

168
00:15:08.290 --> 00:15:10.990  align:center  line:-1
Interviewer: Was it night time when you went to tear them
down?

169
00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:16.000  align:center  line:-1
Yes, of course it was early in the morning, or at night,
when people wouldn’t see us.

170
00:15:16.010 --> 00:15:22.910  align:center  line:-1
A lot of the time my father didn't reveal [his emotions],
but my mom’s respect for him, in that kind of era--

171
00:15:22.920 --> 00:15:30.640  align:center  line:-1
Up until the latter part [of the Cultural Revolution],
[although] he was safe, the [label] of traitor hadn’t yet been removed,
nor had the [label] of “historical counter-revolutionary.”

172
00:15:30.650 --> 00:15:42.030  align:center  line:-1
Though [he] was safe, he still always had this [label].
But my mom’s reverence for him [never wavered] at the time.

173
00:15:42.040 --> 00:15:50.820  align:center  line:-1
For example, today scrambled egg is an incredibly simple
dish, but at the time there was no way to let every person eat scrambled
egg.

174
00:15:50.830 --> 00:15:57.190  align:center  line:-1
So, in our family, my father always ate first—fried meat
floss, scrambled egg—my father would eat first. That was his position in
the family.

175
00:15:57.200 --> 00:16:00.980  align:center  line:-1
After he finished, the kids would eat.

176
00:16:00.990 --> 00:16:04.990  align:center  line:-1
But on the other hand, my mom was really pretty.

177
00:16:05.000 --> 00:16:11.670  align:center  line:-1
She was pretty, and very capable. For her to respect my
father so much was not unreasonable.

178
00:16:11.680 --> 00:16:14.990  align:center  line:-1
My father had attended private school….[Am I saying] too
much?

179
00:16:15.000 --> 00:16:18.040  align:center  line:-1
Interviewer: No, not at all. I just want to record their
photographs.

180
00:16:18.050 --> 00:16:21.380  align:center  line:-1
In his childhood, my father attended private school; he
was quite well-educated.

181
00:16:21.390 --> 00:16:29.910  align:center  line:-1
In the winter, our family would sit around him on the bed
while he told us [stories from] Romance of the
Three Kingdoms, Journey to
the West, and Water
Margin.

182
00:16:29.920 --> 00:16:34.050  align:center  line:-1
He'd talk about a lot of books from ancient Chinese
history.

183
00:16:34.060 --> 00:16:43.000  align:center  line:-1
So today, my siblings all write very well, one better than
the next.

184
00:16:43.010 --> 00:16:45.690  align:center  line:-1
My eldest brother is a lawyer who has his own law
firm.

185
00:16:45.700 --> 00:16:51.810  align:center  line:-1
My second-eldest brother is chief editor of a newspaper in
Huaibei; [he] publishes things all over the world.

186
00:16:51.820 --> 00:16:56.810  align:center  line:-1
My third-eldest brother has also published quite a few
books, [and] served as head of the Propaganda Department...

187
00:16:56.820 --> 00:16:58.370  align:center  line:-1
...[and] as bureau chief of the State Administration of
Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.

188
00:16:58.380 --> 00:17:04.310  align:center  line:-1
My youngest brother has served as head of a new high-tech
industrial development zone.

189
00:17:04.320 --> 00:17:11.790  align:center  line:-1
I studied English for my bachelor's degree, and economics
for my Master's.

190
00:17:11.800 --> 00:17:16.840  align:center  line:-1
[Our] writing skills have a relationship to [our] father's
influence in [our] childhood.

191
00:17:16.850 --> 00:17:20.810  align:center  line:-1
Another thing: I think my father was an amazing
person.

192
00:17:20.820 --> 00:17:37.820  align:center  line:-1
[Sometime] between 1974 and 1976, [when] my father had not
yet been rehabilitated, he was demoted to serve as head of an orchard.

193
00:17:37.830 --> 00:17:40.990  align:center  line:-1
At the time, the Educated Youth [who had been working at]
the orchard had all fled back to Shanghai.

194
00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:45.180  align:center  line:-1
Because no one was left, [My father] went to Shanghai to
find them and bring them back, one by one.

195
00:17:45.190 --> 00:17:49.240  align:center  line:-1
[Starting to] "grasp revolution, promote production," [my
father] reestablished the orchard, and it really flourished.

196
00:17:49.250 --> 00:17:52.840  align:center  line:-1
However, at the time [my father] still had the [label] of
traitor, of historical counter-revolutionary.

197
00:17:52.850 --> 00:18:01.340  align:center  line:-1
I was in junior high at the time. As a child, my
personality was pretty wild.

198
00:18:01.350 --> 00:18:05.290  align:center  line:-1
Since my parents were busy appealing to higher authorities
all day, they didn't supervise us; [we] were used to freedom.

199
00:18:05.300 --> 00:18:14.990  align:center  line:-1
I remember one day, I was playing with a bunch of male
friends, we were good friends, [and] one kid said, "Your father is a
traitor!"

200
00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:19.270  align:center  line:-1
Maybe he just thought this was fun, but in an instant, my
ego couldn't take it.

201
00:18:19.280 --> 00:18:23.680  align:center  line:-1
I just hit that boy once and went home, feeling
unhappy.

202
00:18:23.690 --> 00:18:29.290  align:center  line:-1
Feeling upset, I went to make trouble for my older sister.
It was unreasonable.

203
00:18:29.300 --> 00:18:32.190  align:center  line:-1
As a result, my father said, "How could you be this way
toward your sister?"

204
00:18:32.200 --> 00:18:36.990  align:center  line:-1
He lifted his hand, as if he were going to hit me, but
actually it was just to scare me.

205
00:18:37.000 --> 00:18:44.560  align:center  line:-1
At the time, I felt deeply wronged. I said, "Are you a
good guy or a bad guy after all?!"

206
00:18:44.570 --> 00:18:52.100  align:center  line:-1
That's what I said to my dad. I'd seen him raise his hand,
his face twitching a bit, and his heart must have hurt so much.

207
00:18:52.110 --> 00:18:58.940  align:center  line:-1
He didn't say a word then; his hand just froze [in the
air]. It was like he'd been defeated.

208
00:18:58.950 --> 00:19:10.250  align:center  line:-1
That evening, we went for a walk in the orchard. [My
father] said, "Look, you all, it's dark outside, but the stars are still
shining."

209
00:19:10.260 --> 00:19:20.190  align:center  line:-1
He said, "You may not believe in me, you may doubt me, but
you may not doubt the Communist Party."

210
00:19:23.300 --> 00:19:31.060  align:center  line:-1
Can you imagine? [He] had suffered so many injustices, so
much torment; his wages has been stopped.

211
00:19:31.070 --> 00:19:36.220  align:center  line:-1
At the time, the family was really torn apart, with him
over there, us over here, over there—a family separated into so many
different places.

212
00:19:36.230 --> 00:19:42.780  align:center  line:-1
Later on, we'd been able to reunite, but then he was
demoted and we were sent [to the orchard].

213
00:19:42.790 --> 00:19:47.590  align:center  line:-1
He still had the [negative label]; his children still
didn't understand him.

214
00:19:47.600 --> 00:19:56.150  align:center  line:-1
However, he could still make this kind of statement, which
[showed] an old Communist Party member's firm belief in the Communist
Party.

215
00:19:56.160 --> 00:20:00.410  align:center  line:-1
That is, [he meant that] the true Communist Party was
good,...

216
00:20:00.420 --> 00:20:09.800  align:center  line:-1
...[but] individual people, including the corrupt [Party
members] of today, may be Communist Party [members] in name,...

217
00:20:09.810 --> 00:20:17.310  align:center  line:-1
...but they do not represent the genuine Communist Party.
Like in a church; I used to think a clergyman stood for a church, for
God.

218
00:20:17.320 --> 00:20:21.440  align:center  line:-1
Actually, a clergyman doesn't represent the church, and
doesn't represent God; he only represents himself.

219
00:20:21.450 --> 00:20:34.820  align:center  line:-1
Like some bureau chiefs, whatever chiefs, they're also
Communist Party [members], but their behavior smears the Communist
Party—yet this doesn't mean all Communist Party [members] are bad.

220
00:20:34.830 --> 00:20:43.440  align:center  line:-1
Saying this is easy, [but] truly understanding it...I feel
I've had a profound experience and understanding of this.

221
00:20:43.450 --> 00:20:47.500  align:center  line:-1
Because back in that era, a Communist Party member, [my
father], experienced so much torment,...

222
00:20:47.510 --> 00:20:53.130  align:center  line:-1
...[such as] fleeing from persecution for so many years,
[then] finally being able to come back, yet not being rehabilitated
yet.

223
00:20:53.140 --> 00:20:59.240  align:center  line:-1
His own parents were murdered by the Japanese; I never met
my paternal grandparents.

224
00:20:59.250 --> 00:21:04.390  align:center  line:-1
[My father] experienced war all around him; [he] fought
the Japanese, fought the Kuomintang [Nationalists],...

225
00:21:04.400 --> 00:21:06.640  align:center  line:-1
...never worrying about his own gains and losses.

226
00:21:06.650 --> 00:21:13.410  align:center  line:-1
Later on, after he was rehabilitated in 1979, he [was
asked to] serve as head of the Provincial Party Committee organization
department,...

227
00:21:13.420 --> 00:21:17.120  align:center  line:-1
...[but] he said, "I don't need to. I'm already old."

228
00:21:17.130 --> 00:21:20.650  align:center  line:-1
[He] was already over 60, probably.

229
00:21:20.660 --> 00:21:25.440  align:center  line:-1
He said, "Let a young person do it." You see, [he was] a
pure Communist Party member.

230
00:21:25.450 --> 00:21:28.820  align:center  line:-1
[My father] stayed at [my mother’s third eldest
brother’s house] for a while.

231
00:21:28.830 --> 00:21:32.240  align:center  line:-1
During the Cultural Revolution, this maternal uncle and
aunt would've died to protect my dad.

232
00:21:32.250 --> 00:21:38.920  align:center  line:-1
The rebel faction went to their town and said, "You must
hand him over! He's a traitor...

233
00:21:38.930 --> 00:21:40.990  align:center  line:-1
...[If you don't hand him over] it'll negatively affect
your family."

234
00:21:41.000 --> 00:21:45.040  align:center  line:-1
[My maternal aunt] grabbed a knife and said, "I'll fight
to the death with anyone who dares come to my home!"

235
00:21:45.050 --> 00:21:45.990  align:center  line:-1
Interviewer: Your maternal aunt?

236
00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:47.430  align:center  line:-1
Right, my maternal aunt.

237
00:21:47.440 --> 00:21:52.990  align:center  line:-1
Back then, I heard my maternal aunt say that one day my
dad went out carrying a knife—actually, he wanted to commit suicide.

238
00:21:53.000 --> 00:21:57.100  align:center  line:-1
He couldn’t get over it, couldn't stand it, and didn't
want to involve [my aunt and uncle] in it.

239
00:21:57.110 --> 00:22:01.600  align:center  line:-1
In the end, my aunt discovered [what he was doing]. [My
father] said, "I don't want to involve you in this."

240
00:22:01.610 --> 00:22:07.990  align:center  line:-1
Because back then, there really was no justice in the
world; you never knew if one day...

241
00:22:08.000 --> 00:22:13.650  align:center  line:-1
From the nation's second-in-command, Liu Shaoqi, [to
leaders like] Deng Xiaoping [and] Peng Dehuai,...

242
00:22:13.660 --> 00:22:22.310  align:center  line:-1
...a series of important generals, down to regular people,
teachers—[everyone lived in] a dark world, without justice.

243
00:22:22.320 --> 00:22:25.050  align:center  line:-1
It's like [the translator/writer/critic] Fu Lei. I really
love [his book] Fu Lei's Family
Letters.

244
00:22:25.060 --> 00:22:28.840  align:center  line:-1
When I came to the U.S., I brought a few rare books; among
them was Fu Lei's Family Letters.

245
00:22:28.850 --> 00:22:31.150  align:center  line:-1
I don't know how many times I've read it.

246
00:22:31.160 --> 00:22:38.280  align:center  line:-1
[Fu Lei], a person this talented, this patriotic, who also
firmly believed in the country and the Communist Party—

247
00:22:38.290 --> 00:22:44.530  align:center  line:-1
--he, too, couldn't bare the humiliation of being falsely
accused, the attacks against his person, and committed suicide.

248
00:22:44.540 --> 00:22:47.530  align:center  line:-1
He and his wife committed suicide—this very patriotic
person.

249
00:22:47.540 --> 00:22:53.500  align:center  line:-1
It's such a pity. So many talented people [committed
suicide].

250
00:22:53.510 --> 00:23:00.200  align:center  line:-1
I believe that Chairman Mao's starting point of the
Cultural Revolution definitely wasn't like that.

251
00:23:00.210 --> 00:23:05.730  align:center  line:-1
But other people added fuel to the fire, used [the
Cultural Revolution] to advance their own agenda.

252
00:23:05.740 --> 00:23:07.970  align:center  line:-1
It got out of control, right up to the end.

253
00:23:07.980 --> 00:23:16.890  align:center  line:-1
Think about it: on that pitch-black night, my father said,
"You see: the sky is dark, but the stars still shine...

254
00:23:16.900 --> 00:23:22.140  align:center  line:-1
...You all may not believe in me, you may doubt me, but
you may not doubt the Communist Party."

255
00:23:22.150 --> 00:23:26.510  align:center  line:-1
[Even] after experiencing so much torment, [after] years
as a fugitive,...

256
00:23:26.520 --> 00:23:34.037  align:center  line:-1
...after he came back and had not yet been rehabilitated,
but had been demoted, he still made this kind of statement.