Daniel Eichelberger

I received a letter from my son yesterday, he says there is now famine in the countryside and this may be the last time he can write. I worry for him, for famine causes starvation and violence, but there is little I can do here in the city, where there is still little sign of famine.

I've predicted this to be on the horizon for awhile now, as communal farms of the scale Mao has requested are sure to be discouraging for all the well-to-do farmers that are now on the same level as the poorest peasants, which I suppose is part of communism, though its logic is flawed as it means that brains and hard-work have the same outcome for oneself as slacking off. While the Great Leap Forward had the right principles, the way it was executed with the communes was certainly not the way to go. Collectivization was implemented as an attempt to speed up the growth of our economy, but now I fear China can only maintain or regress after our botched attempt to improve things.

My son, Hua Qilin’s school photo in 1953

I can respect Mao for his communist ideals, but he needs to see when things are out of control and react accordingly, as well realize that communism isn't and never will be the perfect system that Karl Marx envisioned it to be. Just because the farms that voluntarily included a few families working together were a success, doesn't necessarily mean that forcing large groups to work together will have the same effect.

Hopefully, the famine won't spread to the cities, but its hard to say if things don't start happening beginning with the top of the food chain, Chairman Mao. He needs to quickly realize his mistakes and adjust, although I suspect at least the larger cities will be kept well-fed as more famine in the countryside would be much more desirable to the government than urban unrest.

There's no telling what's going to happen to China in the coming years, but we can only hope that the government makes the right decisions. The Great Leap Forward has failed and now we must move on to the next phase in China's development, but I fear it may not happen until the rumored famine is over and our country steps onto more stable ground. Meanwhile, I will continue to hope for the health of my only son and wait with bated breath for more news from my son, one of the only uncensored sources of information I still have access to.

School has become a joke. A couple weeks ago, half my students ran off to another one of Chairman Mao’s rallies in Tiananmen Square, and since then they’ve been rowdy, disrespectful and rebellious in class. Yesterday, a member of the Red Guard stared me down when I asked him to be quiet, and I’m beginning to fear what is to come for the school and me, should this continue. I’ve began to witness violence in the streets and a colleague of mine was beaten so badly he can no longer see out of one eye, just because he let slip to his class that he wasn’t sure Mao was always right.

Mao’s first Dazibao, ‘Bombard the Headquarters’, is first and foremost an attack on Liu Shaoqi, but many have also the headquarters to represent any and all authority, like schools and professors. If this continues to go on as I’m sure it will, I will have to quit my job as a professor and hope to find another way to support myself as it has become extremely dangerous to be a professor during these times.

One of Mao’s first Dazibao

Another reason I am becoming indifferent to teaching is that in school, I don’t so much teach material anymore as much as I lead pro-Mao chants and have them write required essays on the virtues of communism, the flaws of capitalism, or essays denouncing some character or another, including one about Liu Shaoqi just two days ago. Chairman Mao seems to be either oblivious to the violence going on, or, the more likely scenario, it’s exactly what he has planned. No troops or party officials are making any effort to stop the violence; if anything, they are adding fuel to the flame. What a lot of them haven’t seemed to realize yet is that it wont be long before Mao and the Red Guards set their sights on the officials as well, purging any and all officials that are suspected to be rightists in any way. It may be something they don’t want to think about yet, but it is the inevitable. I haven’t heard from my son in the years following the famine, but whether he is still alive or became a victim of the famine, it may be better than him being in the cities now. As the son of a professor, he would be singled out and the chances of him being unable to convince the angry Red Guards that he is a supporter of Mao are high. He would likely lose his life, or at least suffer mightily on the whims of the Red Guards. I understand Chairman Mao’s philosophies on igniting this revolution, but it’s going to cost our nation much blood and tears if it is allowed to go on for an extended time. For my sake and the sake of the people of China, I hope this is a only a quick phase in our history, but I suspect that may be asking for too much.

China is in turmoil. The other day I was strolling down the street with my old colleague who didn’t happen to have his little red book at hand. We were stopped by Red Guards that ordered us to produce our books and when he couldn’t he was beaten beyond recognition and I fear for his life. Before leaving, the Red Guards told me that unless I wanted to end up like him, I should stay away from bad influences that don’t support Chairman Mao. I was a trembling mess inside, but I was able to keep my composure and tell them I was unaware of his treachery and bade them farewell with a “long live Chairman Mao.”

A Red Guard rally that later turned violent.

The entire country is now living in fear of the Red Guards. Over the past month, one of my neighbors has committed suicide and two old colleagues have gone into hiding. I’ve been tiptoeing around the Red Guards, constantly in fear of my life, as intellectuals such as myself are targets for persecution. Our school was shut down after the principal was beaten to death during a mini-riot during which many of the Red Guards were intent on showing their support through extreme violence. The Red Guards aren’t only feuding with authority; they are also having mini turf wars amongst themselves, where factions of Red Guards fight each other. Nobody is safe nowadays because of it. It was a couple weeks ago that I saw a group of six Red Guards jump another one to send the message that they have the power in this area. It becomes obvious things are out of control when Mao’s ‘greatest weapons’ are fighting with each other.

Chairman Mao must stop this before the entire nation spins out of control. He is obviously aware of the chaos that is ensuing, but he isn’t doing anything about it. I know this was a play to regain his power, but his point is proven now and he must take control of the Red Guards, which is by no means something that should be hard for him as they adore him and he has the army at his disposal. The revolution continuing on like this will only mean the loss of more good lives and Mao should soon start focusing on improving our nation rather than solidifying his power. As for me, I’m content with keeping a low profile and pretending I’m fully supportive of Mao’s actions until the situation with the Red Guards cool down.

The nation is in shock, though many have foreseen it coming. The once revered Lin Biao is dead. The news has rippled through the country like a shockwave and shock is exactly what it has caused. That, and uncertainty. Lin Biao was a hugely influential leader and respected by many. Mao’s feud with him has cast a shadow over the nation and for the first time, there are many that are questioning the legitimacy of the Cultural Revolution.Lin Biao has been quickly climbing the political ranksand was hungry for power. Those are not good combinations in Mao’s mind, and thus these recent events. We’ll never know what truly happened with Lin Biao, but only the stories and rumors that are put out by Mao, which may or may not be true. Lin Biao and his wife were said by some to have attempted to an assassination on Chairman Mao by sabotaging his train, which failed due to a change of route. His plane then crashed in Mongolia as he and his family attempted to make their escape. Lin Biao’s picture released in the

newspaper after his death

No doubt, the ensuing months and years are going to be a time of anti-Lin Biao propaganda. Already, anyone and everyone thought to be associated with him or close with him is being arrested. Party officials, family members, army officials and anyone else who has ever been connected with him are being hunted down and purged.Along with the news of his death, came the expected criticisms of his actions and blemishing of his image. Although it isn’t too widespread yet, Jiang Qing is already manipulating his image to make him the scapegoat for some of the problems during the Cultural Revolution, and no doubt it will get worse in the next few years. How exactly his death happened are still just rumors, as nothing official has been released at this point. Although Lin Biao’s death has stirred things up somewhat, China is certainly better off now than it was during the most severe years of the Cultural Revolution. The Red Guards have been dismantled, and our school has reopened, though it is led by the military. Still, many of the things we do are influenced by Mao, but it is somewhat better than before. One thing that's somewhat bothering me is the Down To The Countryside movement, which is sending many of China’s youth to do manual labor in the countryside, a movement that I find to be pointless and unrewarding for either side. From what I hear, it isn’t helping the peasants, but rather giving them extra mouths to feed, and the students are such bad workers they don’t contribute very much. Students are students and peasants are peasants, I don’t see why they must be brought together. Now that things are starting to improve, I’m considering a trip to the countryside that would let me learn what has become of my son, and whether he is still alive. Meanwhile, I’ll continue to teach and expect to be having to assign lots of anti-Lin Biao essays in the near future.

No doubt, the ensuing months and years are going to be a time of anti-Lin Biao propaganda. Already, anyone and everyone thought to be associated with him or close with him is being arrested. Party officials, family members, army officials and anyone else who has ever been connected with him are being hunted down and purged.Along with the news of his death, came the expected criticisms of his actions and blemishing of his image. Although it isn’t too widespread yet, Jiang Qing is already manipulating his image to make him the scapegoat for some of the problems during the Cultural Revolution, and no doubt it will get worse in the next few years. How exactly his death happened are still just rumors, as nothing official has been released at this point. Although Lin Biao’s death has stirred things up somewhat, China is certainly better off now than it was during the most severe years of the Cultural Revolution. The Red Guards have been dismantled, and our school has reopened, though it is led by the military. Still, many of the things we do are influenced by Mao, but it is somewhat better than before. One thing that's somewhat bothering me is the Down To The Countryside movement, which is sending many of China’s youth to do manual labor in the countryside, a movement that I find to be pointless and unrewarding for either side. From what I hear, it isn’t helping the peasants, but rather giving them extra mouths to feed, and the students are such bad workers they don’t contribute very much. Students are students and peasants are peasants, I don’t see why they must be brought together. Now that things are starting to improve, I’m considering a trip to the countryside that would let me learn what has become of my son, and whether he is still alive. Meanwhile, I’ll continue to teach and expect to be having to assign lots of anti-Lin Biao essays in the near future.

He is dead. And with his death has come nation-wide grief and shock. Being the face of China for the past eternity, few people still remember life without Mao, and don’t count me among them. The days the news came out, I remember the various expressions I saw on people’s faces, including expressions contorted with grief, blank with shock and some that had wide, unbelieving eyes. What is going to happen to China now? Before we know that, we must wonder who is going to take power. Chairman Hua Guofeng is the leading candidate for the right wing politicians, while Jiang Qing and the newly named Gang of Four are also struggling to take power. One thing is certain, however, whoever loses the power struggle will also likely lose their lives or be imprisoned.

Grieving neighbors after Mao’s death

I may travel to see his body in the Great Hall of the People, where an exhibition will be opening. I have never been a loyal supporter of Mao, but nor do I think he was a horrible man, and in a way I think it would be a good experience for me to see the man that has done so much for China. How he is remembered will no doubt be influenced by propaganda, but in my mind, he was both a monster and a genius.I suppose only now will truly be the end of the Cultural Revolution. Although things have somewhat returned to normal after 1969, the Cultural Revolution still raged in the hearts of many Chinese, but it has died along with Chairman Mao. Already, propaganda is being put out to ensure Mao’s legacy will be remembered forever. HuaGuofeng and his followers are blaming all of the excesses and problems during the Cultural Revolution on Lin Biao, Jiang Qing and the Gang of Four, leaving Mao’s legacy completely unblemished by mistakes. In the end, it isn’t at all surprising, judging from the propaganda and cover-ups of the past. A few years ago, Jiang Qing and her followers started the ‘Criticize Confucius, Criticize Lin Biao’ campaign, that essentially blamed them for many of the problems that happened during the Cultural Revolution. During that time, I had to assign countless essays and projects to my students on how Lin Biao was horrible, how Confucius was wrong, how they weren’t patriotic and many other things that made them look bad and Mao look good. Nobody knows exactly what is going to happen to China now, but I believe we are done with the revolution and can start to rebuild and grow again as a nation. In my trip to see my son a couple years ago, I found that he had died of starvation during the famine as I had dreaded and I have grown tired of these times of turmoil. I am glad these grim times are behind me, but their mark will be with me until my dying day.