At the end of 1971, Xu Huichang wrote a letter sent to Hong Kong, reporting on social preparations in Shanghai for President Nixon’s upcoming visit to China. He was accused of “counterrevolutionary leakage of state secrets” and sentenced to death, executed in 1972. For more than forty years in the spirit world, he remained outraged and felt his grievances unresolved. Hearing that the Jade Emperor was seeking out wronged souls to collect evidence of Mao Zedong’s persecution, he went to the Jade Emperor’s heavenly court to lodge a complaint.

The Jade Emperor, seeing a young man of about twenty, assumed he had a grievance and asked directly, “What is your name, and what grievance do you have?”

Xu replied, “My name is Xu Huichang. I was executed simply for writing a letter describing how Shanghai was preparing to receive Nixon’s visit. I have come tonight to seek justice from you.”

The Jade Emperor asked, “What did your letter say?”

Xu explained, “I am from Shanghai, an only son. My parents did not allow me to go to the countryside, so I stayed home. I had nothing to do, enjoyed music and painting, and followed social developments to think about issues. I listened to broadcasts from Taiwan’s Central Radio, which suggested that one could write letters to a Hong Kong mailbox about social conditions. I sent a letter reporting that Shanghai streets were being cleared to receive U.S. Secretary of State Kissinger and prepare for Nixon’s visit. The letter noted that grassroots authorities were instructed to strictly control landlords, rich peasants, counterrevolutionaries, and bad elements, concentrating them for supervision or sending those of undesirable backgrounds to the frontier.”

The Jade Emperor asked, “You wrote the letter and sent it—how did that lead to your arrest?”

Xu replied, “The letter was intercepted quickly. I did not use my real name and was charged in what became known as the ‘Li Ming Anonymous Counterrevolutionary Letter Incident,’ accused of leaking state secrets. The case was escalated to the central government. Premier Zhou Enlai ordered it to be treated as a key target, sending Deputy Minister of Public Security Yu Sang to Shanghai. The police photocopied the letter, distributed it to all local units to compare handwriting, and solved the case in thirteen days. I was arrested and imprisoned.”

The Jade Emperor asked, “When were you executed?”

Xu said, “On September 30, 1972, at Hongkou Stadium, during a public trial attended by ten thousand people, I was one of thirteen sentenced to death. After the verdict, I was paraded through the streets with a large placard reading: ‘Current Counterrevolutionary Offender Xu Huichang.’ My neck was bound with a nylon cord, my tongue pulled out, and I was finally shot at Zhabei Execution Ground.”

The Jade Emperor asked, “Was your family affected?”

Xu said, “After my arrest, my father tried to save me by taking responsibility, claiming he had written the letter. But not only did it fail to save me, he also lost his own life, sentenced to ten years and dying in prison. My mother was already paralyzed. I had an elder sister whose husband worked in the Fourth Air Force; because of this incident, he divorced my sister.”

The Jade Emperor asked, “Were you rehabilitated after the Cultural Revolution?”

Xu replied, “Not until 1980. The rehabilitation was only on paper; the counterrevolutionary label was removed, but nothing was done to restore my family. In the spirit world, I still feel my grievances remain unaddressed. What I wrote was simply observable social reality—there were no secrets. They killed me, my father died, and our family was ruined. Where can I seek justice?”

The Jade Emperor said, “I will see that justice is done for you.”

Hearing the Jade Emperor’s promise, Xu Huichang felt some relief and then rose to take his leave.

NEXT: 103. Mao Yìngxīng (1925–1970)