Chapter 79 The Shadian Tragedy Anti-Religion and Anti-Muslim 1968

Mao: “Yes, a tragic incident occurred in Shadian, Yunnan. Shadian is a village inhabited by the Hui ethnic minority, with over 1,500 households and more than 7,200 people. During the Four Cleanups movement in 1964, three mosques were forcibly closed. In December 1968, the Yunnan Provincial Revolutionary Committee dispatched a battalion-sized military propaganda team consisting of several hundred soldiers to Shadian. They used the pretext of considering religious beliefs as anti-Marxist, anti-Party, and closed down the mosques. The soldiers even ate pork inside the mosques. The military propaganda team subjected over 200 Hui Muslims to struggle sessions, beatings, and humiliation. They forced 60 Hui Muslims to parade with black signs that read ‘Religious Restoration,’ and compelled them to imitate pigs by using their mouths to dig toilets, crawl like pigs, and roll like pigs. This degrading and oppressive treatment lasted for a year.”

Journalist: “Was Shadian targeted for being anti-religion and anti-Hui Muslim?”

Mao: “Yes, in October 1973 and February 1974, the Hui Muslim masses forcibly reopened the mosques in Shadian. Zhou Xing, the First Secretary of Yunnan, said that reopening the mosques negated the Cultural Revolution and sparked a wave of criticism against Hui Muslims. Thousands of Hui Muslims marched to Kunming for protests and appeals, even climbing onto trains bound for Beijing twice.

In May 1975, the military once again forcibly entered Shadian, but they were met with resistance from thousands of local residents who blocked their entry into the village.

On July 29, 1975, several army units surrounded Shadian, cut off the power supply, and at 3 a.m., launched an attack. Street battles broke out between the Hui Muslims and the military, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people. On July 30, the military shelled three mosques, and the fighting continued for seven days and nights. On August 4, 157 Hui Muslim individuals raised their hands, formed lines, and walked out to surrender, but the military opened fire with heavy machine guns, causing them to fall one by one. Those who survived were shot again. In the end, only five people survived. Over 4,400 civilian houses were destroyed, and over 900 people died, with over 600 people left disabled or injured. The military also suffered casualties.”

Journalist: “The suppression in Shadian was quite tragic. The sacrifice of the Hui Muslims was significant, right?”

Mao: “Yes, in Yunnan, cities like Kaiyuan and counties like Wenshan also witnessed the armed suppression of Hui Muslims, under the accusation of participating in the ‘Shadian Rebellion.’ Throughout the entire Shadian incident, over 1,600 people died, nearly 1,000 people were disabled or injured, and dozens of individuals were sentenced to death or imprisonment. It was not until 1979 that the Shadian tragedy was officially vindicated.”