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A Fearful Night |
| Written by Peter | |
| Friday, 09 May 2008 | |
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Share it:      A Fearful Night With the progressing of ‘Breaking Four Olds’, the situation of the ‘four elements’ was getting worse. A strong wind of ‘completely wiping out all the exploiting classes’ blew from the center. Many people who were the ‘four elements’ or who were considered to be, were driving away from the cities to their home villages. Some of them were killed by the Red guards when they were on way. Following the revolutionary actions in the city, the villagers in Dong’an were going to kill the ‘classic enemies’ in their own village. There was a long story. We should start from the bad blood in the village. There was a landlord named Zhang Shishan, who was a dictator in the village. Two men were killed without any explanation. But nobody knew who were the murderer and the reason. However, most of the villagers surmised that the murderer must be Zhang Shishan because he was cruel and ruthless. Furthermore, the two persons had offended him while living. Although most of the villagers thought that Zhang Shishan had pulled the strings behind the scene, there was no evidence. However, in 1949, Zhang Shishan was sentenced to death by the government; the accusation was that he was a despotic landlord. His wife named Luo Sufang was still alive then. She was from a poor peasant family. She had married Zhang Shishan on her parent’s order, to pay off her family’s debts to Zhang Shishan. And Luo was not the first wife, twenty years younger than Zhang Shishan. When Zhang Shishan was killed, Luo had just married with him for three years, twenty years old. Then, she left the village to find a job as an ‘amah’ doing housework for people in the city. Only a few villagers remembered that Luo Sufang was a member of the village. When the Cultural Revolution began, all the nannies that did housework for people in the city were discharged by their hostesses because the Red Guards thought that to employ a nanny in one’s family was exploitation. So they dared not disobey the order issued by the Red Guards. At first, Luo Sufang was going back to the village that she was born but she was refused by the cadres in the village because firstly, both her parents dead and she had no close relatives in the village; secondly, they didn’t want to accept a widow of a despotic landlord who had been killed by the government. So she had to go back Dong’an village. In 1966, when she returned, she was near 40 years old. Then, less village paid attention to her. However, with the going deep of the Cultural Revolution, she became a great focus to the political movement in Dong’an. She was assigned to live in a small house in the edge of the village. On the last days of August in 1966, the Cultural Revolution was progressing being like a raging fire. The message of killing the ‘four elements’ and their later generations had come from Daxing County. It was said that hundred of people were killed overnight. Therefore, the villagers in Maidian Commune made preparation for a massacre to the ‘four elements’ to show their revolutionary spirit. Naturally, Luo Sufang became the first target of the revolutionary action in the village. In a fuggy afternoon on 31st in August, there was a secret meeting held in the office of the village. The gate of the courtyard was closed and there was a person who was responsible for watch it – no person was allowed to approach the courtyard. The five members of the Revolutionary Committee of the village attended the meeting: Li Yucun, the director, about 30 years old, Zhang Mingren, the deputy director, about 55 years old, Zhang Zhecong, a member of the committee, about 40 years old, and Zhang Shili, a member of the community, and Zhang Shaoying, a young girl and a member of the community. Among them, Li Yucun, Zhang Shili and Zhang Shaoying were most active in the decision to kill Luo Sufang. Zhaong Shili said: “The stage of the movement has developed to that of ‘if I don’t kill you, you will kill my.’ So we must destroy the class enemy in our village. I suggested we kill Luo Sufang tonight!” They wanted to be hero in the Cultural Revolution. However, Zhang Mingren had different opinion. He was afraid to kill any human being in the village, and he said in a wild tone: “The policy of the Party is ‘leniency to those who confess their crimes and severity to those who refuse to.’ If Luo Sufang makes a clean breast of her crimes and her husband’s secrets, we can handle her leniently.” However, he was attacked by Zhang Shili. Zhang Shili stopped and said: “We should not be soft hearted to class enemies. We should use of the class enemy to ask her some questions and then kill her.” Zhang Zhecong could say nothing and Zhang Shaoying expressed agreement with the idea to kill Luo Sufang. The last number, Zhang Zhecong, who had worked in the commune, knew that it was illegal for a village committee to make a decision to kill a person but he was more aware of the fact that if he wished to stop the killing, he would cause trouble for himself in the present political situation. Therefore, he kept silent. Suddenly, Li Yucun asked him: “Zhecong, what is your opinion? Don’t you agree to kill Luo Sufang?” “Yes, I do.” So a decision to kill Luo was made. They, then, assembled a meeting of Red Guards, militiamen and women, and cadres to tell them the decision and to keep secret until after dinner. In fact, after the meeting, all the villagers except Luo Sufang herself knew that she would be killed that night. After the meeting, when they went out from the courtyard of the productive brigade, they saw a woman about 40 years old being tall and shapely. Compared with the common women who did labor work in the field chronically, she still retained a graceful manner since she did housework chronically in the city. It was just Luo Sufang, who went out from the supply and marketing co-operative in the village with a basket containing coal briquettes and other living things on her back. It was obvious that she wanted to cook with them but she didn’t realize that she would never use them. On the way to her house, Luo tried to greet everyone she met, hoping that her fate might improve in that way. Zhang Shaoyang, a young militia man of about 20, told his mother of the decision to kill Luo that night. She said: “You will not touch her. We are good family. We don’t beat anybody.” At about seven o’clock, Luo Sufang was trying to light her stove with the coal briquettes she just bought for cooking. Two Red Guards rushed into her house and called her name: “Luo Sufang, you are asked to go to the office of the production brigade!” “Could you wait a moment please! I’m lighting my stove,” she requested. “You needn’t say anything. Go!” was the answer. Soon, Luo Sufang went out, followed by the Red Guards and she knew something bad was to happen to her but not that she was going to her death. In the courtyard of the production brigade, many people had gathered. Entering the gate of the courtyard, she felt an air of terror. She trebled with fear, lowering her head and hot daring to look at anyone. When she reached the table at which the five members of the committee sat, she stooped. “What is your name?” Li Yucun asked. “My name is Luo Sufang,” she answered. “What is your class status?” “I am from a poor peasant family.” “Nonsense! You have been the wife of a despotic landlord, haven’t you?” Li Yucun demanded. “Yes, I have.” “Then, why did you say that your class status is poor peasent? Behave yourself! Now, I ask you: have you been the wife of the despotic landlord Zhang Shishan?” “Yes, I have,” said Luo Sufang, having no alternative. Soon the slogans began: “Down with the wife of the despotic landlord Zhang Shishan! Leniency to those who confess their crimes and severity to those who refuse!” Luo Sufang began to tremble with fear even more. “Luo Sufang, tell me, you must make a clean breast of how you bullied and oppressed the poor and lower middle peasants with your husband,” said Li Yucun. “I did nothing. I stayed at home every day,” answered Luo Sufang. “You are not behaving yourself,” some people said. “Bear her!” Soon the Red Guards came up to her and slapped her face until the blood ran from her nose and the corners of her mouth. “I come from a poor peasant family. I have never done any bad thing. Please don’t beat me!” she cried and fell down in the dust. A man pulled her up by the hair. “When did Zhang Shishan kill Zhang Dewang and Zhang Dehai?” “I don’t know.” “Before Zhang Dewang was killed, who came to your house?” “I can’t remember.” “Nonsense!” said Li Yucun. After these words, a long period of beating followed. “Tell me, before Zhang Dehai was killed, who came to your house that night.” Li Yucun asked again. He wanted Luo Sufang to make a statement under examination because he thought that Zhang Zhecong ‘s father had helped Zhang Shishan – which would be a good handle against Zhang Zhecong in the next step of the struggle. After the cruelly beating, Luo Sufang could not support herself but lay on the ground and breathed hard. Then, a long time later, she murmured: “They were …” The sound was so weak that only a few people heard it. Immediately, someone beat her on the head with a club and someone shouted: “Kill her! She is not behaving herself!” Then some villagers beat her with clubs and sticks. A couple of minutes later, Luo Sufang breathed her last, being so covered with blood and flesh that she was unrecognizable. In the storm, Luo Sufang became the target of killing, not only because she was the wife of a despotic landlord but also because she hand no family members or close relatives in the village. So, after her death there was no worry that anybody would avenge her. Later it was said that she was killed because Zhang Zhecong’s family wanted to do away with a witness. On the next day, the villagers learnt that nine people were killed in the commune so nobody worried that the higher authorities would investigate and affix the responsibility for killing Luo Sufang on them. Copyright 2008 Peter |
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