Trials Fact Sheet
The following
information should be included on your fact sheet:
1. Trial Name: Crown vs. __Mao Zedong____
2. Trial Date: _Tues. June 12, 2007_____
3. a)Your
Name: __Chelsea__________
b) Prosecution Lawyers: __Chelsea, Arti & Vanessa_________
c) Defense Lawyers: ___Courtney, Emily & Brigit________
4. Your Opening
Statement
-
The Cultural Revolution, otherwise know as the Great Proletarian Revolution,
was a political campaign launched by the leader of the Chinese Communist Party Mao
Zedong, from June 1966 to October 1976. The campaign aimed to rid the party of
the so-called “bourgeois” or “intellectuals” who were believed to possess
leftist views obstructive to the party.
-
During the Revolution, millions of intellectuals were forced into manual labor
camps to be educated by peasants. During these ten years, as many as 500 000
people were executed for real or falsified offences against Chairman Mao.
-
Sadly, many of the Cultural Revolution’s victims were teachers or educators. In
the violent summer of 1966, students from 91 different schools across China rose
up and began to physically attack and kill their own teachers.
-
18
educators in total were brutally beaten to death by their students. Many others
were seriously injured or committed suicide shortly after the attacks due to
humiliation and shame
-
I am here today to prove to you that Mao Zedong encouraged violence against
educators and is guilty of acts against humanity committed by Red Guards during
the summer of 1966.
5. Your Charge
Acts
against humanity committed by Red Guards during Mao Zedong’s Cultural
Revolution in the summer of 1966.
6. Arguments / Evidence
proving the charge:
- Mao
targeted educational systems and educators during the Cultural Revolution. On
- Many students received his plan to purge the party of the middle class and elites. Students at Qinghua University in Beijing - The CCP stated on August 8, 1966 in its “Decision Concerning the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution”, that, “At present, our objective is to struggle against and overthrow those persons in authority who are taking the capitalist road, to criticize and repudiate the reactionary bourgeois academic 'authorities' . . . to transform education, literature and art . . . so as to facilitate the consolidation and development of the socialist system.”
-
At this time, beating teachers was considered to be “revolutionary actions” and
was not restricted by law, regulation, or convention.
-
Only Red Guard students (those with working class ties) were allowed to beat
teachers.
-
In
an August 1 letter, Mao encouraged Red Guards, giving them his “enthusiastic
support”. He also mentioned the name of Peng Xiaomeng, who had publicly beaten
Zhang Chengxian in front of Mao’s wife and more than 10 000 people.
-
On
August 5, he voided a statement approved by Liu Shaoqi, which denounced violence
on school campuses.
-
During the summer of 1966, students physically attacked teachers in 91 schools
across
-
18
educators in total were brutally beaten to death by their students. Many others
were seriously injured or committed suicide shortly after the attacks due to
humiliation and shame.
-
7. a)
Your Witness: _Bian Zhongyun ___
(character’s name) played by __Calvin________ (student’s name)
b) Information / Arguments/
Evidence / Questions for witness
Calvin
- A: Yes. My name is Bian Zhongyun
and I am 50 years old. I am a vice principal
at a
Q:
Would you please tell the court what happened on
A: Yes. On August 5,
1966, a number of tenth grade students from the Girls Middle School began to
physically attack myself, 2 other vice principals, and 2 deans from the school.
Q:
How did they attack you?
A: They splashed ink on
our clothes, hung black boards with our names crossed out by red Xs on our
necks, hit us with nail-spiked clubs, scalded us with boiling water, and so on.
After three hours of torture, I lost consciousness and was put into a garbage
cart.
Q:
What happened after this?
A: I was eventually sent
to a hospital across the street, but was found to have been dead for some time.
I became the first victim of the Cultural Revolution.
Q:
Were you the only victim at
A: No. 18 other teachers
were killed after me in schools across
Q:
Who attacked you?
A: Red Guards. They were
a group of students dedicated so supporting Mao in the Revolution.
Q:
Why do you think you were beaten to death?
A: Because I was the
highest authority and in charge of the school. Once the Red Guards came in,
they turned on me and suddenly believed that I was a “counter-revolutionary
revisionist”. They would attack any authority figure thought to be “capitalist”
or “counter-revolutionary”, which they thought most educators at the school to
be.
Q: Can you please read the following quotes, said by Mao?
A: Yes.
1. “The capitalist
intellectuals will not be allowed to rule our schools any longer”.
2. “Completely denounce the
capitalist representatives in the academic, educational, journalist, artist,
and publication circles. Take the power of leadership back from these cultural
realms."
Q: And can you read this statement said by the Chinese Communist
Party?
A: Yes.
1. “At present, our objective is to struggle against and overthrow those persons in authority who are taking the capitalist road, to criticize and repudiate the reactionary bourgeois academic 'authorities' . . . to transform education, literature and art . . . so as to facilitate the consolidation and development of the socialist system.”
Q: Do you think Red Guards were encouraged by Mao?