Chapter 81 Expelling the youth to the countryside 1968

Journalist: “Didn’t you urge the Red Guards to rebel? Why are you now asking them to go to the countryside and mountains?”

Mao: “In 1968, the Cultural Revolution had been going on for two years. Liu Shaoqi was overthrown, and a large group of capitalist roaders were also toppled. I had gained complete control over the situation and no longer needed the Red Guards to rebel. Keeping them in the cities to continue causing trouble would affect the stability of my regime. Sometimes, their actions would even become severe and uncontrollable, keeping me busy with handling the situation. While it was claimed that resuming classes would lead to revolution, the school teachers had already been subjected to various forms of persecution, and the schools were not yet ready to resume. What could be done? The best solution was to send them to the countryside, which would also alleviate the pressure of providing them with employment in the cities. There weren’t enough jobs for them there, so let the countryside take care of them!”

Journalist: “You took advantage of the situation and pushed the 16 million young intellectuals to the countryside, right?”

Mao: “Yes, I also instructed Zhou Enlai to promote the movement of going to the countryside and mountains. Over ten million young intellectuals were sent there, which also relieved the pressure on urban population and employment. Their presence in the cities easily sparked social unrest. Sending them to the countryside was a way to celebrate a big occasion, avoiding tearful farewells between mothers and children. They were encouraged to wear big red flowers, make noise with gongs and drums, set off firecrackers, and create a grand scene, making it difficult for parents to feel sad. The officials who were sent down had to go to different places from their children, each pursuing their own path, to avoid causing trouble. Additionally, there would no longer be centralized examinations and admissions in the future, but instead, recommendations and admissions based on recommendations from the poor and lower-middle peasants. In December 1969, when the weather turned cold and harsh, the Red Guards’ rebellion entered a historical dead end. They understood that they had been manipulated, like used rags, thrown away like urban garbage to the rural garbage dumps and resettlement sites.”

Journalist: “You said they were re-educated by the poor peasants, educate them what?”

Mao: “That is my crowning glory, is the labor education it, the peasants can only teach them farming, simple labor, knowledge and culture will be wasted. They wasted 10 years of education time, the university talent is also a gap, talent training can not catch up. The countryside is not a lack of labor, but too many peasants, these are not in my consideration, I cannot care so much.”

The Journalist: “The Red Guards feel cheated by you, after being used by you, then abandoned by you.”

Mao: “Yes, that’s the reality of it. I have always been like this, using and discarding. I already had the next step planned out. In July 1968, I summoned the five major leaders of the Beijing Red Guards to the Great Hall of the People and reprimanded them, which was equivalent to bidding farewell to the rebel faction. Then I sent them to the countryside, and that was that.”

Journalist: “Did they also find ways to avoid going to the countryside and pursue alternative paths?”

Mao: “The best option for them was to join the military. However, only those who held relatively high positions in the party or the military could find a way to join the military. This didn’t include the capitalist-roaders who had already been targeted for criticism. For example, Xi Jinping’s father was undergoing persecution and sent for labor in the countryside at that time, so Xi Jinping couldn’t join the military. He could only go to Shaanxi province to engage in manual labor for a few years.”

Journalist: “Did some of them later find ways to enter universities or secure urban employment through special connections?”

Mao: “Yes, many of them, especially the children of officials, were able to take advantage of special connections. Like Xi Jinping, later when his father’s situation became more relaxed, he was able to enter Tsinghua University through special connections, even though he had only completed primary school education.”

Journalist: “Later, many educated youth couldn’t bear it anymore. Were there many collective petitions requesting to return to the cities?”

Mao: “Yes, many young people even kneeled collectively to petition to return home. They were incited to rebellion by you at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, how many capitalists kneeled on their heads, and now it’s their turn to kneel.”

Journalist: “This is truly a great irony caused by you. The Cultural Revolution resulted in suffering for the entire nation, with some experiencing it earlier and others later. Is that the distinction?”

Mao: “The entire Cultural Revolution was a national disaster orchestrated by me. Almost everyone was caught in the calamity and no one could escape it.”

Journalist: “How many educated youth went to the countryside in total?”

Mao: “There were approximately 20 million of them. They were the generation whose youth I wasted. From the glorious rebellion to kneeling down and pleading to return home, that was their journey.”

Journalist: “You allowed Jiang Qing to cause the death of Sun Weishi, and now you sympathize with her? Were you persecuted by Jiang Qing?”

Mao: “Yes, in October 1968, Sun Weishi tragically died in prison. She was a favored member among the central leadership, young, beautiful, talented, and had studied in the Soviet Union. Lin Biao proposed to marry her, and I temporarily cohabitated with her for two months. Zhou Enlai was her stepfather and lover. She did not regard Jiang Qing and Ye Qun as important. I wrote over ten personal letters to her, gave her inscriptions, and took dozens of photos together. During her six months of interrogation and severe torture in prison, she never said a bad word about me.”