Zhu Xiao Di

Reading Di's memoir, I can't help but think of the old saying, "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." What stands out to me is the way the leaders used simple words to promote their own rise to power. For example, the idea of being a revolutionary. The word itself has several connotations: we think of a revolution as an change in the balance of power, an overturning of the current government or leadership. It also represents an influx of new ideas, as in a revolutionary way of thinking--the Industrial Revolution, for instance. But here, Di shows that the leaders turned the word "revolution" upside-down.

"In those days, one always tried to be 'revolutionary.' Ironically, when the word 'revolutionary' was used in China it meant the opposite of what it means in the West. Instead of pertaining to radical change, the word implied conformity with the authority or being 'politically correct.'" (27)

I don't see this as a simple translation quirk. By using the word revolutionary, it implies a change and gives hope to the people that they are going to be part of a new and improved era. But as long as the leader remains unchallenged, the word can represent anything. In this case, while people at the time do not see the danger, reader are able to understand that the "revolution" is a scheme for power. The idea is calculated to gather as many followers as possible and make the rest live in fear. As Di states, "Many people were inspired by Mao's vision for the nation's future and obtained strength from Mao's words to deal with strife in their individual lives. However, as happened many other times, a positive thing soon became a negative." (36)

Again, this leads to another word being twisted: "rebel." In this case, the young people who believed that they were rebelling were really playing right into their leader's hands. They were not rebelling, but following orders. The Red Guard acts as an army that lengthen's Mao's reach and tightens his hold on the people.

"Mao encouraged the young Red Guards to dare to rebel against everything. Advocated by his radical followers, especially his wife, even violence was applauded and praised. They emphasized the animosity between classes, and dehumanized those who had been labeled as 'class enemies.' The effect was that often morals and common sense were eliminated." (46)

The words that once began the "revolutions" have become even more corrupted:

"Mayor Ke liked to play a more radical role in the Party and he claimed to be more 'revolutionary' than his colleagues. The trouble was that such people never stop. They ultimately claim to be the only 'revolutionaries' and charge those who do not agree as 'counterrevolutionaries' or enemies of communism. In many cases, however, they are just hypocrites, and never believed in what they advocated. Or only banned others from doing what they themselves wanted to do." (103-104)

Di's memoir shows that there is nothing positive to be gained by being swept away in words and ideas. The book also champions education. Most of the young people, like Di's sister, were forced to become peasant workers, sacrificing their education. Instead of helping their country, this was a calculated way to prevent the people from becoming too knowledgeable, to try and keep them from questioning their government.