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Red Scarf Girl is a memoir by Ji-Li Jiang about her experiences during the Chinese Revolution between the ages 12 and 14. During the Chinese Revolution, which started in 1966, Chairman Mao Ze-Dong tried to create equality throughout China by eliminating class structure and former beliefs.

In this presentation I will analyze the 6 aspects of culture during the Cultural Revolution in China. I will also compare China today to what life was like during the Revolution.

Government

Chinese government during the Cultural Revolution was very strict. They had lots of power and control over the Chinese citizens.

When Mao Ze-Dong started the Chinese Revolution, he tried to eliminate old customs, ideas, culture, and habits. These were known as Four Olds. The Chinese were told by Mao that the Four Olds were holding them back.

In China during the Cultural Revolution, there was no capitalism or private ownership. This is the opposite of the economic system that we have in the United States. In the U.S., the harder an individual works, the more income they receive(usually). Furthermore, in China everything was government owned. There was no competition between businesses, no incentive to work harder, and no variety of products.

Religion and Spiritual Beliefs

Many Chinese citizens' ideas and beliefs changed once the Cultural Revolution began.

In a way, many Chinese believed Mao Ze-Dong was an idol. For example, on page one of Red Scarf Girl it says that Ji-Li was told," Heaven and Earth are great, but greater still is the kindness of the Communist Party; father and mother are dear, but dearer still is Chairman Mao." This shows how much faith the Chinese had in the Communist Party and Chairman Mao. They also believe that Allah is their god. In Red Scarf Girl it also says,"May Allah protect my son." One ritual that Chinese women perform is foot binding. It was considered attractive to have small feet.

Learning and Technology

The idea of education changed drastically through the Cultural Revolution.

Before the Cultural Revolution, a student would have been respected if they did well in school. That all changed during the Revolution. Students were taught to worship Chairman Mao. Schools even had morning benediction with the red book that Mao wrote. Teachers were criticized in big posters that students wrote called da-zi-bao.

If someone had high class status but good grades, they were still not considered an "educable child". Schools abolished graduation exams that determined which school students attended. Children got assigned their schools by where they lived. By doing this, those who did not work hard in school were rewarded just as much as students who put lots of effort into their work.

Family, Community, Society

The way that citizens in China were looked at changed during the Cultural Revolution.

In China, people were called by their surname before saying their first name. Despite the large Chinese population in China, there were only 100 surnames!

Also, people were criticized depending on their class status and jobs. The Chinese were looked down upon if they were rich. Middle and upper class men were despised. People could not even be leaders if they had a bad class status. Two of the most offensive occupations were being a rightist or a landlord.

If you were born into a family with bad political beliefs, you could only become a true revolutionist if you offended your family.

Arts and Crafts

Only certain pieces of artwork were allowed due to the Four Olds.

China Today

How China has changed since the Cultural Revolution.

Many things have changed since the Cultural Revolution. Something that stayed the same is the lack of freedom of the press. The Chinese government censors all information in the news. For example, if you look up Tiananmen Square in China, you will not see the news about the violence and killing of many teenage protesters.

Also, there is now a one-child limit policy in China. If someone has more than one child without a permit, they will be heavily fined.

Something that has changed in China is their economy. During the Revolution, China had a command economy in which all businesses were government owned. Nowadays, they have a market economy where individuals can own businesses.

Other things that have changed. You can now:

  • freely move around country
  • travel freely
  • buy your own house
  • pick your job
  • choose who to marry
  • criticize middle and lower levels of government

What people in China still are not allowed to do:

  • elect government
  • criticize top leaders
  • have two or more children
  • access all of the Internet

There are now more books that people can read. Artwork is sometimes allowed. If the art criticizes the government, it is banned. Education is now respected. The government still has the ability to detain anyone at any given time.

Thanks for watching!

Leo Sabin is Sabin Leo Ji-Li Jiang is Jiang Ji-Li

During the Cultural Revolution, pictures and artwork that included images of Four Olds had to be confiscated. In Red Scarf Girl, when her family is burning their pictures, they had to get rid of pictures of people on camels and wearing fur coats. They were not able to keep the pictures because those were luxuries that only rich people would have.

During the Chinese Revolution, the Communist party tried to create complete equality. People in the middle and upper classes were looked down upon. In fact, if you were not in the lower class, you were not considered an "educable child".

Plus, the government had the ability to invade your house. They would come in your home if they were even a little suspicious about you or your family. They would destroy anything that resembled a Four Old.

Resources and Economics

The government in China controlled businesses and the economy during the Chinese Revolution.

Lastly, Chairman Mao created a group consisting of teenage revolutionists called Red Guards. These Red Guards were very supportive of the elimination of the Four Olds. Before becoming a Red Guard, the Chinese had to become Red Successors, basically junior Red Guards. Anyone could be a Red Successor as long as they had a good Communist spirit and a lower class status.

The 6 aspects of culture are:

Government

Resources and Economics

Religion and Spiritual Beliefs

Learning and Technology

Family, Community, Society

Arts and Crafts

The Communist Plan that Changed the World:

Analyzing the 6 Aspects of Culture

During the Cultural Revolution and Today

By Leo Sabin B Hour Humanities

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