Vocab

1. Black- Opposed to the Communist Party. Communism was symbolized by the color red. Black, seen as the opposite of red, was used to symbolize opponents of Communism, and therefore became a negative in general.

2. Black whelp: An insulting term for child of a family belonging to any one of the “Five Black Categories.”

3. Bourgeois; bourgeoisie: A member of the middle class. In China this term is used in a derogatory manner to describe a person who enjoys and admires a luxurious “capitalist” lifestyle.

4. Capitalism: An economic system characterized by private ownership of property, free competition, and business for profit. The United States, Japan, and many other countries are capitalist nations. Communists are strongly opposed to capitalism.

5. Communism: An economic system in which all means of production, such as land and natural resources, are owned by the entire community and used for the good of all its members.

6. Counterrevolutionary: A person who actively fights against the Communist Party. A counterrevolutionary is seen as a public enemy.

7. Da-zi-bao: A form of propaganda in the shape of a large handwritten poster presenting an important issue. During the Cultural Revolution, da-zi-bao were used to attack and humiliate people.

8. Educable Child: In Cultural Revolution jargon, a child from a “black” family who is loyal to the Communist Party and rejects his or her black family.

9. Cultural Revolution (officially known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution): The social and political upheaval that overtook China from 1966 to 1976. During this time many innocent people were ruthlessly persecuted. The Cultural Revolution was launched by Chairman Mao, supposedly to rid the country of anti-communist influences. Long afterward it was revealed that Chairman Mao unleashed this chaos in order to protect his own political position.

10. Class Status: A system of classifying people by their economic situation or occupation. This was particularly important during the Cultural Revolution. It was believed that family class status would determine one’s behavior and thinking, so someone born in a family with a “red” class status was assumed to be revolutionary, while one born into a “black” family was assumed to be unreliable. One’s status was determined by one’s father’s degree of “redness” or “blackness”.

11. Ideology: A system of beliefs. Communist theory held that in order to change social conditions, people needed to change their patterns of thought. Someone with “bad ideology” was dragging the society backward, so this was a serious matter. The Cultural Revolution’s emphasis on changing “old thinking” made ideology even more important.

12. Political Study Class: A gathering in neighborhood, workplace, or school to study Mao’s writings or the Communist Party’s documents. For people who were said to have political mistakes, these classes were often used to pressure them into confessing their problems.

13. Five Black Categories: According to Chairman Mao and the Communist Party, the worst enemies of Communism and the common people. The five categories were: landlord, rich peasants, counterrevolutionaries, criminals, and rightists.

14. Four Olds:” Old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old habits.” According to the propaganda, these remnants of the old society interfered with the creation of a modern, socialist society. However, people in power arbitrarily decided whether or not something was “four olds,” and used this as an excuse to attack people and destroy property.

15. Proletarian: A member of the working class, especially a farmer or factory worker.

16. Propaganda: Information intended to promote a particular belief. While sometimes the word implies that the information is false, or at least misleading, in communist China it was used as a positive term, something like “public relations.”

17. Rebel: Someone fighting for political change. To Chinese Communists this was generally considered a positive term during the Cultural Revolution.

18. Red- The symbolic color of Communism. Therefore, any person who conforms to Communist Party ideology is considered “red,” as is anything that serves to further the cause of Communism.

19. Red Guards- During the cultural revolution a very popular, semi-formal organization of high school and college students who were from “Red” family backgrounds or who, thought not “Red” had proved themselves to be firm revolutionaries. They were Chairman Mao’s loyal supporters and the pioneers of the Cultural Revolution.

20. Red Successors: - A semi-formal organization in elementary school formed in imitation of the Red Guards.

21. Rightist- A member of a conservative party who disagreed with or opposed the Communist Party.

22. Struggle meeting – A meeting within a work unit to publicly criticize someone. Often these meetings included humiliation or even physical assault. This format was not officially ordered by the Central Committee, but it was used as an effective revolutionary weapon.

23. Summer Labor- Under the communist government, a regular part of education, in which students take part in factory or farm work during school vacations in order to learn to appreciate the contribution of the laboring masses.

24. Work Unit: The term for any organization that employs a person.

25. Xenophile: A person who loves anything foreign. Such behavior was considered disloyal.

26. Mao Ze-dong: (1893-1976) The Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, and the leader of China from 1949 to 1976. Formerly spelled Mao Tse-tung.