For example: what ideals have been indoctrinated by the communist system in the past 50 years? What is the role of ideals and the role of political struggles in CCP policy?; What is the Chinese culture now that the cultural revolution and ideology has permeated education in China?; Does the experiences in politics and revolution as well as communist education shape the way Chinese people view human rights as a concept?; Do the Chinese people believe that the Cultural Revolution was inspired by people and democracy whereas it was instigated by a cult of communist worship?; Do the actions of people during the cultural revolution cause the Chinese people to think that this is what people would be like if they were more free? There’s a reason this topic is banned.
“The success of this conference was a tribute to the tenacity of Chinese people’s conscience and moral integrity against China’s totalitarian power. The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) launched by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its leader Mao Zedong not only ruthlessly purged perceived political rivals, but also caused the deaths and persecution of millions of innocent people and the destruction of irreplaceable cultural relics and historical sites throughout China, and plunged the country into economic devastation.All this was done in the name of “class struggle,”“continuous revolution,” and “destroying the Four Olds.” One of the worst man-made catastrophes in Chinese history, it is comparable to the Holocaust launched by the Nazis against the Jews.”
Owing to the fact that this decade-long catastrophe was perpetrated by the CCP and its “Great Leader” Mao Zedong, the CCP has banned independent Cultural Revolution research in China ever since the Cultural Revolution ended 30 years ago. This year, the Chinese government has not only strictly prohibited any commemorative and research activities about the Cultural Revolution, but it also spared no effort to prevent commemorative activities held outside China. For instance, some 20 scholars from China were invited to participate in the New York symposium, but the Chinese government refused them permission to attend on the pretext of “preventing interference from hostile forces overseas.” Prominent scholars who were denied their rights to participate in the conference included Professor Ding Dong of Shangxi Social Science so on, so on, so on,,,. However, eight other mainland scholars managed to overcome various obstacles and find their way to the conference.They included Zhu Zheng, a noted historian on contemporary Chinese history, renowned reporter Gao Yu, independent Cultural Revolution researcher Xu Hailiang, and Yu Jie,Vice President of the Independent Chinese PEN Center.Those who were barred from attending the conference submitted written papers.”
The challenging aspect was in the revelations of historical truth long covered up by the CCP, the refutations of official Cultural Revolution theories, and the questions raised about the legitimacy of CCP rule from a historical perspective. For instance, some well-known Cultural Revolution victims, such as Liu Shaoqi, Deng Xiaoping and Ye Jiangying, who assisted Hua Guofeng in toppling the “Gang of Four,” have long been viewed as “pure victims and resisters” during the Cultural Revolution. However, some papers at the conference convincingly pointed out their additional roles as participants, supporters and perpetrators of the Cultural Revolution whose differences with Mao were purposely exaggerated by the government after the Cultural Revolution.
Frankly, as great as it is for them to hold this conference,I think that it could have been a lot more pertinent and to the point, but they gave their names and were returning to China and likely have families and homes in China that they are afraid to jeopardize, understandably.
Here is what I see as a balanced look at the Cultural Revolution.
I hope historical facts will someday be something Chinese and Western people can share an understanding on, otherwise one (or both) will always think the other is biased, unfair, lying or stuff like that that’s happening now.
