Mao went to Qufu in Shandong, hoping to meet Confucius.

Before the meeting, he obtained a stack of archival materials from Qufu, including records of the cultural relics destroyed during the Cultural Revolution and subsequent restoration reports. He read that in November 1966, under the direction of Qi Benyu and Kang Sheng, Tan Houlan led more than two hundred people from Beijing to Qufu in the name of the Central Cultural Revolution Group to rebel against the “Confucius Shop.” Together with local rebels, they established the “Revolutionary Rebel Liaison Station for the Complete Destruction of the Confucius Shop,” convened a mass rally of ten thousand people, smashed the 1961 State Council stone stele designating the site as a “National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit,” and even sent a protest letter to the State Council.

During their twenty-nine days in Qufu, they burned more than 2,700 ancient books and over 900 paintings and calligraphy works, including more than 70 first-class nationally protected relics and more than 1,700 rare editions. They destroyed over 1,000 historical stone steles, including the stele at Confucius’s tomb, vandalized the Confucius Temple, damaged the Confucius Mansion, Confucius Forest, and related heritage sites, and leveled Confucius’s grave.

Tan Houlan had been the Red Guard leader at Beijing Normal University and one of the five major Red Guard leaders in Beijing universities. In 1966 she had shaken hands with Chairman Mao in Tiananmen Square, and in 1968 she was received by Mao in the Great Hall of the People along with the five leaders.

Reading these records, Mao felt deeply unsettled. He thought of Tan Houlan’s actions and knew he bore responsibility. Such massive destruction of historical relics was shocking. He wondered what Confucius would think.

In a hazy state between sleep and wakefulness, the figure of Confucius gradually appeared, coming closer from the distance.

Soon Mao noticed another figure behind him—a woman. Who was she? As she approached, Mao looked carefully. She was exactly like the photograph of Tan Houlan he had just seen.

The woman stepped forward. Mao could not help but ask first:

Mao: “Are you Tan Houlan? Why have you come today?”

Tan Houlan: “The Jade Emperor sent me. He ordered me to apologize to Confucius in your presence.”

Confucius interjected:

Confucius: “What crime do you have?”

Houlan: “During the Cultural Revolution, I led over two hundred people to destroy the Confucius Forest, Temple, and Mansion. I have committed a grave sin.”

She knelt before Confucius with her head lowered. Confucius helped her up.

Confucius: “Who sent you?”

Houlan: “The Central Cultural Revolution Group.”

Confucius: “Then the fault is not yours. You were merely a foot soldier.”

Unable to restrain himself, Mao said: Mao: “The Central Cultural Revolution Group also acted under my authority. Without my tacit approval, they would not have dared. I now recognize this and was about to kneel to apologize to the Sage.”

Confucius, magnanimous, said: Confucius: “The faults of a gentleman are like eclipses of the sun and moon. When he errs, all see it; when he corrects it, all look up to him.”

Mao: “When I was young, I read your books, followed rules, and listened to your teachings.”

Confucius: “It would have been good if you had continued that way. But later you went astray.”

Mao: “Later I rebelled alongside the Russians and overturned all that our ancestors had established.”

Confucius: “You launched the Great Leap Forward, which led to famine and the deaths of tens of millions. Then you initiated the Cultural Revolution, causing enormous suffering nationwide and countless deaths. In all of Chinese history, nothing like it had occurred. It would not be excessive to call you a criminal of the ages.”

Confucius continued: “You overturned more than two thousand years of national cultural tradition and damaged human nature itself. Your soul will forever be nailed to the pillar of historical shame and will never rest.”

He added: “I hear you have met Hitler. That is well. Your crimes exceed his. You must exert at least three times the effort of repentance as Hitler to have any hope of the people’s forgiveness.”

Mao: “I severely damaged the roots of Chinese civilization. The dead may recover in three generations, but the harm to civilization may not fully heal even in six. No number of lives could atone for it. Now the fourth generation has been born, yet social morality is far worse than in my youth.”

Confucius replied: “The Red Guards who rebelled during the Cultural Revolution were not guilty. Whatever faction they belonged to, they were merely following ‘supreme instructions.’ Foot soldiers are not guilty.”

He added: “I have heard that many Red Guards became scapegoats. That should not be so. They should all be rehabilitated and apologized to.”

Houlan said emotionally: “Having heard this today, my soul can finally rest. I am at peace in heaven.”

Confucius turned to Mao: “You have come today with sincerity.”

Mao: “I made grave errors during the Cultural Revolution. I have come to apologize. If you have the chance, please ask the Jade Emperor to reduce my sentence.”

Confucius: “When a gentleman errs and then corrects himself, people look up to him. Are you a gentleman?”

Mao: “During the Cultural Revolution I wrongly criticized Lin and also criticized you. Lin Biao wrote about ‘restraining oneself and returning to propriety,’ and I attacked both together. In 1973 I even wrote to Guo Moruo, saying ‘Confucian learning is high in name but empty husk.’ In my later years I was utterly confused. After forty years of reflection, only today do I understand.”

Confucius: “In truth, I am no saint. While alive, I only hoped to preserve and transmit my thought to assist rulers in governing. I wrote nothing myself; the Analects was compiled by my disciples from my sayings and spread among the people. Three hundred years later, Dong Zhongshu elevated my status for the needs of civilization. Thereafter my teachings were transmitted and developed generation after generation, adapting to the times, becoming representative of Chinese civilization—nothing more.”

Mao: “Now I understand. By attacking you, I shook the foundation of the nation and wounded the roots of Chinese civilization. The people became lost, like headless flies, morality collapsed, and the state nearly ceased to function. The impact will last more than three generations. For two thousand years, despite dynastic changes and rebellions, no one rebelled against Confucius. Only in my later confusion did I defy ancestors and sages, becoming lawless and self-exalting.”

Confucius: “Indeed. No matter how high one’s position, no one may be ‘without law or heaven.’ Heaven is the Jade Emperor, the supreme judge—even I submit. The law is established by all and must be obeyed by all.”

Confucius continued: “I saw that in your early years you respected traditional Chinese civilization and even respected me. But later you boarded Stalin’s ship and followed Soviet communism, adopting Stalin’s system, abandoning your own civilization, and throwing the nation into chaos.”

Mao: “Yes. In my early poems I quoted you. My daughters’ names, Li Na and Li Min, came from your words: ‘A gentleman is modest in speech and diligent in action.’ Following the Soviet path and Stalin’s system harmed the nation and caused tens of millions of deaths. I can never atone.”

Confucius: “If one errs and corrects it, that is good. The people will judge historical matters with some leniency. I see that Chinese civilization remains deeply rooted. Reform and opening have brought people from starvation to having enough to eat, which gives me some comfort. But reform and opening must completely remove the poisonous legacy of Lenin and Stalin. If the roots of communism are not eradicated, the nation’s longevity may be uncertain. I hope your successors understand this.”

Confucius repeated: “I hope what you have said today comes from genuine repentance, not from a false statement meant to obtain a lighter sentence from the Jade Emperor.”

Having said this, Confucius took his leave. Tan Houlan also departed with him.

NEXT: 9. Liang Qichao (1873–1929)