Chapter 136 Zhang You went from leading the rectification movement to being a "right" prisoner

Zhang You is a member of the Communist Party of China. In 1957, he worked in the party committee of the organ directly under the Heilongjiang Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China. He served as a propaganda member of the party branch and secretary of the Communist Youth League branch. He was only twenty-five years old when he was classified as a "rightist".My lover is a rural housewife with no culture, no job, no politics, and no idea what "rightist" means.The oldest of the children is only four years old, and he is still naive. Although as far as the whole country is concerned, Zhang You is just an ordinary "little rightist".However, on October 1, 1997, Zhang You sent the author his nearly 50,000-word life statement "Memories and Reflections". After reading it, the author was deeply moved.Although his cultural level is not high and there are typos in his statements from time to time, the experience he described in 1957 is extremely representative and typical.Because of this, the author added this section according to his statement when revising the book...

At the beginning of the CCP's rectification movement, Zhang You won the trust of the organization.In February and March 1957, Mao Zedong made a report on "Correctly Handling Contradictions among the People" at the Supreme State Council and a speech at the National Propaganda Work Conference of the Communist Party of China.At that time, the two speeches were not published publicly.In order to convey these two speeches of Mao Zedong, the party committee of the agency sent Zhang You to the confidential room of the Heilongjiang Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China to listen to the recording of Mao Zedong's speech.Zhang You remembered that it took two or three days to play the recording of Mao Zedong's speech at recording speed, and Zhang You made a detailed record.After returning to the office, Zhang You conveyed it to all party members and cadres of the office according to the records.This recording draft is quite different from the later publicly published draft.In his speech, Mao Zedong expressed his openness and openness, saying that all walks of life are welcome to help rectify the movement.

Zhang You remembered that party members and cadres were very excited after hearing the message, thinking that China would enter a prosperous age of democracy, freedom and prosperity, and that it would be the second "Zhenguan Reign" and that Mao Zedong would be the "second Emperor Taizong of Tang." Soon, the party committee of the agency established a rectification leading group with a total of five members. Zhang You was one of the members, and was responsible for the routine work of the rectification. Zhang You himself has deep feelings for the Communist Party.In his own words: "I am loyal to the party, and I firmly believe in it. Because I was a child of a poor peasant, I only had three years of primary school education, and I didn't understand any major national affairs. It was the Communist Party that asked me to work and train I became a person with ideals, and taught me to serve the people wholeheartedly, which changed my life. Therefore, I am endlessly grateful, and I will never forget my roots. I believe what the Communist Party says, and do whatever the Communist Party tells me to do. No discount. Regarding the Communist Party, not only have I never doubted it myself, but I also often preach to others not to have two hearts with the Communist Party. I am indeed the most loyal believer in the Communist Party.”

According to the instructions of the superiors, the government held symposiums for Party members, League members, non-Party cadres, and intellectuals, and repeatedly publicized that "you can say everything you know, and you can say everything; whoever speaks is innocent, but whoever hears it is a warning; if there is something, it will be changed, and if there is nothing, it will be encouraged." , mobilize everyone to speak out.Zhang You actively implemented the instructions of his superiors.At first, many people have concerns.After repeated mobilization by Zhang You, many people were relieved of their worries and dared to openly express their opinions.

Zhang You recalled that the initial opinions were only limited to some issues of this organ.According to the deployment of the higher authorities, the focus of the sound release is directed to major issues such as the political life of the party and the country, as well as principles and policies.In order to enable everyone to speak out about major issues in depth, the rectification leading group divided major issues into special topics and held special seminars.These topics include: Party leadership, democratic elections, agricultural cooperatives, unified grain purchases and sales, the "Three Antis" movement, the "Eradication of Rebellions" movement, intellectual policies and the United Front, Sino-Soviet relations, and so on.Whoever puts forward many opinions and whoever has sharp opinions will be praised and regarded as an active member of the rectification movement.

With the repeated encouragement of the leading group for the rectification movement, many people opened their minds and let their guard down.Zhang You remembers that there are also very few people who "see through the world of mortals and stay silent."A non-Party cadre named Zhang Zhenyuan was deeply concerned. Zhang You mobilized him to blow air. He said: "The Communist Party rectification has been six months, and I have to wait until five months and twenty-nine days. Even if that day comes, I still have to It depends on how far the movement has developed before deciding whether to offer opinions.” Zhang You asked him why he said that.He replied: "I'm afraid that what the Communist Party says doesn't count. Sometimes it changes the order day and night. If you are not sure, you will suffer losses!" Zhang Zhenyuan really didn't raise a single opinion, and nothing happened.Later, Zhang You was labeled as a "rightist". Zhang Zhenyuan said to him: "How about it, am I right? You young man is still 'the oil shrinks and turns white—short refinement'."

There is another person who "does not sing and does not let go" is a "senator of the Three Dynasties" named Liu Changfu.He is ten years older than Zhang You, and he is not a member of the Communist Party of China.Because he worked as a clerk in the times of the Puppet Manchukuo, the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, he has the nickname of "the veteran of the three dynasties".Usually, in private, he also expressed some views on the Communist Party to Zhang You, but in various public occasions, he did not say a word.Zhang You mobilized him to "sing out".He said to Zhang You: "The Communist Party's rectification campaign, whether it can be sincere to the end, I have not seen through. People with complicated backgrounds like me can easily misunderstand people when they speak. If they are not done well, good intentions may not be rewarded!"

In addition to the above two "never speak and never let go", there is another "never cry and never let go", that is Zhang You himself! Zhang You "remains silent", not because he is wary of the Communist Party, nor because he is "sophisticated", but because he is a member of the leading group for the rectification movement and has his hands full.He has to organize and participate in all kinds of release meetings, sort out the release opinions, report to the higher authorities, and so on.He simply didn't have time to think about blowing himself.He also thought that, anyway, everyone has said all kinds of opinions, and what he wants to say is these words, and there is no need to repeat what others have said.Because of this, Zhang You still "hasn't released yet" when the vast majority of people in the organ have released it many times.

Zhang You "keep quiet and never let go", so it should be all right.This member of the rectification leadership group who had repeatedly mobilized others to sing, finally became a "target of mobilization" at the most critical moment! It was in mid-May, and the higher-ups asked Da Ming Da Fang to "start another climax." For this reason, the party committee of the agency actually conveyed the speech of Lin Xiling, a student of Renmin University of China, at Peking University, and used Zhang You's party branch as a "pilot" to hold a large-scale speech conference.At this meeting, at least one or two people in each department are required to speak, "no blanks are allowed."The party committee of the agency designated Zhang You as the "first spokesperson" and asked for a "Lin Xiling style" speech!

At that time, Zhang You thought that "this is the importance that the higher-level party committee attaches to our branch, and it also attaches great importance to me."Therefore, Zhang You drew up a speech outline according to the instruction of "focusing on party and state affairs" required by the higher-level party committee, and determined "democratic elections, sectarianism, and party-mass relations" as the focus of his speech. May 18th——From "People's Daily" published "Why is this?" In the first 20 days of ", as a "pilot", Zhang You's party branch held a large-scale release meeting. Many people from the foreign branch attended the meeting, and the total number of participants reached more than 200.

Following the instructions of his superiors, Zhang You was the first to speak at the meeting.According to Zhang You's recollection, "The speech was approved by the audience and resonated. Some people even interjected to make up for the lack of my speech. The atmosphere of the meeting was warm and the meeting was very successful." This is Zhang You's only song release in Da Ming Da Fang. After the meeting, according to the instructions of his superiors, Zhang You also specially wrote an "experience summary" report entitled "How to organize a good speech conference" and reported it, which was praised by the Party Committee of the Heilongjiang Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China! Twenty days later, "People's Daily" published an editorial "Why is this?" After that, the situation took a turn for the worse, and the whole country began to "counterattack the rightists" with great fanfare.At this time, Zhang You was still at peace, because the vast majority of people in the government thought that there were "rightists" only in the senior leadership in Beijing, and there would be no "rightists" in the local area. After all, Heilongjiang is far away from Beijing, and its political sensitivity is poor, and there is a "lag phenomenon".It was not until July that the Heilongjiang Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China notified that the rectification movement should be suspended and the "anti-rightist struggle" be carried out.Therefore, the rectification leading group was adjusted to the "Anti-Rightist Leading Group".The organization told Zhang You that he not only did personnel work, but also worked on the work of the Communist Youth League, and also took care of propaganda work. He had too many part-time jobs, so he would not work as the "Anti-Rightist Leading Group".Zhang You didn't realize it was an important signal at the time, thinking it was a normal work arrangement.From then on, Zhang You no longer participated in the leading work of the organ movement. Not long after that, one day, two journalists came, saying that they were here to interview about the experience of in-depth exposure of "rightists".A few days after the reporter went back, on August 5th, a local newspaper reported on the front page of a headline that the Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee had launched an in-depth anti-rightist struggle, exposing a deeply hidden rightist in the party—Zhang You! Suddenly, Zhang You was like a thunderbolt. He never thought, couldn't figure out that he would become a "rightist"? !How can he become a "rightist in the party" who is "hidden deeply"? ! When the newspaper arrived at the office, people talked a lot: "Zhang You is a party member with strong party spirit, how could he be a 'rightist'?" "Why are people not named on the big-character posters and small-character posters in this unit? How did the newspapers name them?" Some people also said: "There are rightists in this unit who are not exposed, and the newspapers are required to expose them. This is serious rightist sentimentalism!" After the uproar, at noon that day, a white banner was pulled out in the office hall, with big black characters written on it: "Resolutely repel the rampant attack of Zhang You, a bourgeois rightist in the party!" On both sides of the banner, there is a pair of large couplets in black and white: "Resolutely criticize right-leaning sentimentalism"; "Revealing the veil of pretending to be Communist Party members". Under the banner and between the couplets, there were posters with excerpts of Zhang You's "rightist words and deeds". Zhang You recalled: "The whole hall is really like a big mourning hall for funerals, but there is still a lack of coffins and wreaths." The branch secretary talked to Zhang You: "You have released a lot of rightist speeches, what about free elections, the Communist Party has sectarianism, and the development of party members must listen to the opinions of the masses... You have violated Chairman Mao's 'six standards'." Zhang You retorted: "I haven't heard of it since ancient times. What standards do you have for speaking? Chairman Mao's 'six standards' are not laws. My words are not illegal. The Constitution stipulates freedom of speech." The branch secretary emphasized: "Chairman Mao's words are equal to the law. These 'six criteria' are the standards for measuring rightists, and we must follow Chairman Mao's words." Zhang You said angrily: "The rectification movement was launched by the party itself, and the release was called by the party. My release was mobilized by you repeatedly, and the title of the release was also given by you. I expressed my opinion according to the instructions of the party organization." .Now, you turn the other way and label me a 'rightist'. Is this what a gentleman does? Is it the Communist Party? Do you want the prestige of the Communist Party?" Although Zhang You's words were reasonable and his arms couldn't twist his thighs, he was beaten as a "rightist" after all. Apart from Zhang You himself, among the fifteen people Zhang You mobilized and arranged to speak that day, five were classified as "rightists" (including Zhang You).In addition, three people were designated as "center-right" and six people were designated as "with right-wing speeches." Those who were mobilized by Zhang You all said they were "pulled into the bandit boat" by Zhang You! Among them, there is a person who was mobilized by Zhang You, who suffered unfair injustice in the "Three Antis".Zhang You mobilized him to "confide his heart to the party and speak his mind".He obeyed Zhang You's words and "confessed his heart to the party and spoke his mind" at the meeting.As a result, he was the first to be labeled as a "rightist" in the office.When his wife saw Zhang You, she complained: "If our old Liu doesn't listen to your advice, he won't become a 'rightist'!" After hearing this, Zhang You felt extremely guilty. However, since Zhang You himself became a "rightist" and "died together" with him, those who were mobilized did not complain about Zhang You. Zhang You reflected afterwards: "This is the result of my loyalty, willingness, and willingness to be the party's 'tame tool', and I can only reap the consequences!" Zhang You suffered a severe struggle. At the Struggle Conference, "Zhang You Conference of Bourgeois Rightists in the Struggle Party" was hung high.There are many slogans on the four walls: "Dig out the rightists hidden in the party!" "Unmask the right-wing hypocrites in the party!" "Take off the signboard of the fake communist party member who sells dog meat!" "Eliminate right-wing dissidents in the party!" The speeches at the meeting focused on "criticizing" Zhang You's "five crimes": 1. "Attacking the socialist democratic system"; 2. "Oppose the leadership of the Communist Party"; 3. "Slandering the Anti-Rightist Struggle"; 4. "Attack the anti-revolutionary movement"; Five, "dividing the relationship between the party and the masses". Zhang You wanted to argue a few words, but the voice guide sounded in the venue: "No sophistry and denial!" "Stubborn to the end, a dead end!" If Zhang You kept silent, another slogan sounded in the venue: "Don't play dead dogs!" "Leniency for confession, strictness for resistance!" Facing the harsh struggle, Zhang You really couldn't figure it out.Take the "crime" of "opposing the Communist Party" as an example. Zhang You has always been the most loyal believer in the Communist Party, and he has never doubted his loyalty to the Party.He began to doubt the Communist Party after he was classified as a "rightist", not before he was classified as a "rightist".Because loyal people like him are classified as "rightists", he began to doubt whether the party's policies were correct... Zhang You was denounced as "an agent of imperialism and the bourgeoisie in the party", "agent of the Kuomintang", "a filial son of the exploiting class", "a scum of the nation", "a traitor to the Communist Party", and what other "running dogs" ", "jackal", "shit pile" and the like... Someone "revealed" that Zhang You always kept a diary in the dormitory before going to bed every night, and Zhang You's diary had to be "exposed"! This "disclosure" has aroused the approval of many people.So, regardless of Zhang You's protest, the host of the meeting immediately sent three or four people to Zhang You's dormitory to rummage through. Therefore, "copying the house" was not an "invention" during the "Cultural Revolution", it was invented as early as the "Anti-Rightist" Already have this hand. Zhang You's diaries, letters, and notebooks were all copied.Soon, after processing by several "scholars", imitating Mao Zedong's "model" of classifying and adding epistles to the letters of Hu Feng's "counter-revolutionary clique", "Excerpts of Some Diaries and Letters of Rightist Zhang You" were printed and distributed to the masses , as a material to criticize Zhang You... Due to the publication of private letters, even those who corresponded with Zhang You were implicated! On March 8, 1958, the "anti-rightist struggle" of Zhang You's organization came to an end.The party committee officially announced the list of fifteen "bourgeois rightists" including Zhang You.Before this "rightist", the word "bourgeois" is crowned.Zhang You laughed and said that from this day on, he changed from a proletarian to a "bourgeoisie"! Among the fifteen "bourgeois rightists", all members of the Party and Youth League will be expelled from the Party and League.Zhang You was expelled from the Communist Party of China.When announcing this decision, the branch secretary talked to Zhang You and asked him if he had anything else to say.Zhang You said a rather profound sentence: "I really didn't expect the Communist Party to kill itself! You think it's a good thing to expel me from the party. I feel sorry for the party because the party lost a real Communist! I hope the party can learn from it!" The branch secretary immediately reprimanded: "Your reactionary stance has not changed at all!" At the same time as expulsion from the party and league membership, administrative sanctions are also imposed. Administrative sanctions are divided into three types: demotion, dismissal, and expulsion. In addition, all "bourgeois rightists" will be sent to the countryside, and they will be divided into three types: one is the rural production team, the other is the farm, and the third is the reeducation through labor team. Zhang You was "assigned" to the Jingbo Lake breeding farm, where he was supervised by the masses and reformed through labor... Zhang You said: "This kind of 'wearing a hat' to 'supervise labor reform' is a Chinese specialty and unique to China. It is said that it is a punishment, but it is more severe than a punishment. It will not be tried by the court, and it will not be said what you have violated. There are no legal procedures, no lawyers are allowed to defend, no parties are allowed to defend, and there is no time limit for the "sentence". It can be as long as it is long, and it can be short as it is short. Any level of party committee has the right to decide and approve people's hats. '. When I put on a hat, I wear a 'tightening spell'. If I am a dragon, I have to coil up, and if I am a tiger, I have to lie down. The party committee of the agency announced that I would wear the hat of a 'rightist', but did not announce how long I would wear it; Send the farm to supervise the reform of labor, and did not announce the supervision of the reform for several years. It only told one sentence: "When will the reform be completed, and when will the hat be removed." This "when" is actually a substitute for "no period", which can explain There is a period for 'reformation is good, and there is no period for reformation'. There is no standard for what constitutes 'reformation'. Therefore, how long you have to wear the hat of 'rightist' and how long you have to 'reform through labor' Unknown, no one can tell how ugly Yinmao is. Sentenced to prison, there is still a prospect of a sentence. This 'when', there is not even a prospect!" Zhang You was in great pain.He said: "I miss my home far away. My father is old, my wife is weak and sick, and my child is young. Relying on my meager salary, living in two places for a long time has caused great difficulties..." After repeated requests, three generations of father, wife, and children, who were originally from Wuchang County, have been repatriated and moved to the Jingbo Lake Farm to live a difficult life with him. In the winter of 1961, Zhang You was stripped of his label as a "rightist" and became a "rightist without hat".However, his situation was still the same.Zhang You said: "The difference between 'rightists taking off hats' and 'rightists wearing hats' is that no one reprimands the former in public!" Since the Jingbo Lake farm has been running low year after year, the "capped rightists" are allowed to find their own way out.So, Zhang You left the Jingbo Lake farm where he had spent five years of "reform through labor" and brought his whole family back to his hometown of Wuchang County. In his hometown, Zhang You is still a "rightist" in people's eyes - although he has taken off his hat, he is still a "rightist with his hat off". During the "Cultural Revolution", Zhang You was "of course" a "ghost and snake spirit".So, to accompany the "capitalist roaders", join the gangster team, attend "study classes", etc., have a share in everything... Since being labeled as a "rightist", after criticism, struggle, and labor reform, the "rightist" is required to be convinced.Frightened by political pressure, Zhang You had no choice but to "admit his mistakes" during various self-criticisms, but Zhang You was never convinced.As soon as there was a "turmoil", Zhang You immediately appealed and demanded redress. He appealed several times: In the summer of 1960, newspapers published the news that Mao Zedong had rehabilitated the sparrow: Mao Zedong originally listed the sparrow as one of the "four pests", which was "as famous" as flies, mosquitoes, and mice-the reason was that sparrows pecked at food.Since Mao Zedong called for "elimination of the four pests" in 1958, mass "Elimination of Sparrows Movement" was launched in various places.Later, scientists suggested to Mao Zedong that sparrows not only eat food, but also eat pests.Regarding this opinion, Mao Zedong listened to it and said that the sparrow should be "rehabilitated".Since then, sparrows are no longer "wrongly designated" as one of the "four evils". The sensitive Zhang You read this news, and immediately connected the "wrong case" of the sparrow with the "wrong case" of the "rightists"!He wrote an anonymous letter to the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, suggesting that "rightists" should be vindicated just like sparrows.He said that listing sparrows as one of the "four evils" is a wrong case, and labeling us as "rightists" is also a wrong case.Among our "rightists" there are many talents who have contributed much more to the country and the people than sparrows.Rehabilitation of a sparrow is a trivial matter; redress of the "rightist" is more important than rehabilitating a little sparrow... It goes without saying that his letter came to nothing. In 1961, Zhang You heard that the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued a document to screen the "right opportunists" in the party who were implicated by Peng Dehuai, and immediately sent a letter to the original unit requesting screening.The answer I got was: only the rightists are screened out, not the rightists! In 1962, he saw a newspaper photo of Mao Zedong shaking hands with Chen Yun, who hadn't seen him for a long time, and his imagination flashed again.He knew that Mao Zedong once criticized Chen Yun as "consistently leaning to the right."Chen Yun's comeback means that Mao Zedong may have changed his attitude towards "rightist". "Rightist" and "Rightist" both have the surname "You", maybe the time has come for the "rightist" to be rehabilitated... Therefore, Zhang You wrote a letter to the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee with his real name and surname, demanding to be rehabilitated.The letter was forwarded to the party committee of the original unit.Zhang You was asked to have a conversation, and he was clearly told: "Rightist issues are not allowed to appeal. In the future, don't write letters everywhere. Be careful that new problems will arise!" ... Zhang You said, "The person is still alive, but the heart is not dead."He still appealed again and again, asking for redress, and was severely warned again and again. Until April 1978, Zhang You listened to the No. 11 document of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in the county, and he was extremely excited, extremely excited! In 1978, the "Zhongfa No. 11" document, that is, the "Notice of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Approving the Central Committee's United Front Work Department and the Ministry of Public Security's "Report on Removing All Rightist Hats". He could not believe that what was said in the document was true at the time due to repeated appeals and unsuccessful redress. After returning home, relatives and friends came to congratulate him one after another, and only then did he believe that the hard days were finally over! After verification, in late December 1978, the organization made a decision to review and correct the rightist issue of Zhang You and restore his party membership, and transferred him back to his original unit.Zhang You endured the humiliation for twenty-two years, and finally saw the sun again. Someone asked him: "How do you feel about being wrongly classified as 'rightist'?" Zhang replied with four sentences: These four sentences can be said to be the "crystallization" that Zhang You extracted from years of pain. Someone asked him again: "What do you think of those who framed you and those who fought against you? You have suffered so much, do you want compensation?" Zhang You answered frankly and profoundly: "The sin has been suffered, and the suffering has been eaten. I agree with a professor who was also misclassified as a 'rightist'. In exchange for the maturity of future generations, then our pain is worthwhile, and our gratification will be eternal." I also believe that those who took advantage of others' dangers and made troubles will wake up and feel ashamed. It is meaningless to entangle personal grievances and grievances , think more about issues that are beneficial to the country and the people, and do more things that contribute to society, which is more meaningful than anything else. Of course, trauma will leave scars, and the brand cannot be erased. If you want the scars and brand to disappear , only at the end of life.”