Chapter 87 Arresting the May 16th Revolts 1967-1972

Journalist: “You were simultaneously cracking down on counter-revolutionaries while also targeting the rebel factions, right?”

Mao: “Yes, starting from August 1967, alongside the ‘Strike Hard against the Counterrevolutionaries’ movement, we also launched the major crackdown on May 16th counter-revolutionary elements. The peak of the crackdown was from 1970 to 1971, with millions of rebel factions being investigated, resulting in the deaths of over 100,000 people.

The May 16th Faction originally began as a small leftist student organization in Beijing in the summer of 1967, with less than 50 members. By September 1967, it had already disintegrated and no longer existed. From top to bottom, the central government used the pretext of investigating the May 16th Incident to crack down on rebel factions.”

Journalist: “Was the nationwide crackdown on the May 16th Faction initiated under your instructions?”

Mao: “Yes, I said that the May 16th problem should not be taken lightly. Ten million people were persecuted. During the Cultural Revolution, the ‘May 16th Faction’ emerged at the Beijing Iron and Steel Institute, attacking Zhou Enlai. The central government initially intended to arrest a few individuals to calm the situation. However, I instructed that the May 16th problem should not be taken lightly. Later on, Wang Li, Guan Feng, Qi Benyu, and others were all labeled as having ties to the ‘May 16th Faction.’ The nationwide campaign intensified, resulting in the persecution of millions of rebel factions.”

Journalist: “Weren’t you the one inciting rebellion? Why did you want to crack down on the rebel factions as well?”

Mao: “The rebellion got out of control, and I had to suppress them. The exposure of the May 16th Incident in Beijing implicated over 50,000 people, with over 3,000 sent to study classes. The 2-7 Vehicle Factory, which served as a pilot for the Central Guard Unit, experienced the arrest of May 16th individuals in March 1970. Over 1,000 workers were beaten, and worker leader Xu Kai was subjected to 13 years of repression until he regained his freedom in 1983.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs conducted a purge of the May 16th Faction, resulting in the criticism and punishment of over 1,700 individuals, accounting for over half of the ministry’s total staff. By the 1980s, they were all rehabilitated.

The Ministry of Grain also purged the May 16th Faction, with 123 individuals being beaten, accounting for one-sixth of the officials. In total, there were over 300 individuals from the May 16th Faction and other class enemies, making up nearly half of the total number of people. Translator Du Zicheng was subjected to self-hanging suicide after being targeted for purge. Even after death, his body was mocked during the struggle session. By 1973, all conclusions had been reached, and there were no longer any May 16th individuals.”

Journalist: “So, was the crackdown on the May 16th Faction just an excuse to target the rebel factions?”

Mao: “Yes, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CAS), for example, had over half of its staff members labeled as May 16th individuals, with 10 deaths. Over 100 people from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ physics department were labeled as May 16th individuals.

Nearly 100 members of the Central Orchestra were listed as suspects and sent for labor reform. Four of them couldn’t bear the torture and committed suicide. The key members of the rebel factions were all labeled as May 16th individuals.”

Journalist: “Were the methods used to crack down on the rebel factions as brutal as those used against counter-revolutionaries?”

Mao: “Yes, class struggle is ruthless. In Guangxi, a special team of 4,200 people was formed to investigate the May 16th Incident, resulting in the investigation of 68 incidents involving thousands of people. Many people had their homes raided, were subjected to torture to extract confessions, and were beaten. Some were driven to mental illness, while others were persecuted to death.

Tens of thousands of people were arrested and sentenced in Sichuan, and the prisons were once again overcrowded, leading to countless deaths.

In Jiangsu, Xu Shiyou mentioned ‘two diggings’ – digging coal and digging out May 16th individuals. A special detention center was established, and a military unit was brought in to guard it. Over 260,000 people in the province were labeled as May 16th counter-revolutionaries, with over 130,000 detained and subjected to struggle sessions. More than 6,000 suffered injuries or deaths (including 2,540 beaten to death or forced to suicide), far exceeding the harm caused by the Anti-Rightist Movement in 1957.”

Journalist: “It seems that cracking down on the rebel factions was just as ruthless as targeting counter-revolutionaries?”

Mao: “Yes, at Nanjing University, over 1,500 people were caught up in the May 16th turmoil. They were subjected to forced confessions, continuous day and night interrogations, and 21 people ended up jumping off buildings, hanging themselves, or committing suicide on the railway tracks. The wife of an elderly staff member, who was the niece of Qu Qiubai, expressed dissatisfaction with the May 16th purge and wrote a letter to the Xinhua Daily. She was discovered by the military propaganda team, announced as guilty, and directly executed on campus.

In Jiangsu, nearly 40% of the leading cadres in the prefectures and cities were implicated. Along with 5,000 individuals from provincial-level institutions and the 57th School, there were over 2,400 suspected individuals. The school became a labor reform camp for concentrated confinement and investigation. Peng Chong was also added to the list.

The crackdown on the May 16th Faction escalated to ‘using poison to fight poison,’ with those under investigation denouncing and exposing the personnel handling the cases. Today, you struggle against others, but tomorrow, you find yourself sealed in a room. The situation devolved into chaos.”

Journalist: “So, the crackdown on the rebel factions escalated into chaos, and everyone was in fear?”

Mao: “Yes, Nanjing was considered the headquarters of the May 16th Faction, with over 20,000 personnel involved in the special cases. More than 3,900 criticism and struggle study classes were organized, with over 200,000 participants. By the end of 1972, over 20,000 people had been labeled as May 16th individuals, resulting in the deaths of over 300 individuals. A popular rhyme circulated in Nanjing: ‘May 16th, found in every home; either a relative or a friend.’”

Journalist: “Wow, did May 16th turn into panic? Was it everywhere? It seems similar to when you arrested the AB League in Jiangxi, right?”

Mao: “Yes, it was a replica of the AB League crackdown. Li Xiangzhi, the deputy leader of the Nanjing Song and Dance Troupe, once wrote a letter requesting that top leaders not seek female dancers as partners. During the purge movement, she was publicly tried and executed on September 2nd, 1971.”