Zhang Zhixin
Encyclopedia
Zhang Zhixin was a dissident
during the Cultural Revolution
who became famous for criticizing the idolization of Mao Zedong
and the ultra-left
. She was imprisoned for six years (1969 to 1975) and tortured, then executed, for having opposing views while being a member of the Communist Party of China
.
A second party member who had expressed agreement with Zhang was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Although many consider her a heroine among the people for standing up to the party, her experience is also a reminder of the potential punishment for deviating from party principles.
She did not consider herself anti-communist, but rather a "true Marxist" for whom Mao had distorted the communist cause. Even in prison, she insisted she was a member of the Communist Party of China. Many of her points of view were similar to those of the Communist leaders who succeeded Mao. For this reason, she was rehabilitated by Hu Yaobang
and recognized as a revolutionary martyr
, a model communist.
in 1930. She was educated in Renmin University of China
from 1951 to 1952 and later worked in this university. Zhang later became a member of the Communist Party Propaganda Department
at Liaoning province
.
a month to purchase books to read in the facility, where she wrote her study notes on toilet paper
. The prison guards then took her pen away. She proclaimed that the party would be "punished by history; if not sooner, then later". For a year and a half she was frequently shackled in leg iron
s and tied in a harness.
The party forced her to sign divorce papers. Confined in an all-male prison, she was raped and torture
d. Other male prisoners were told they could reduce their sentences if they were willing to torture Zhang.
In a prison political educational meeting called to criticize Lin Biao, she shouted that Mao should be responsible for what Lin did. A party secretary from Liaoning Province
urged that she be executed quickly. During the Cultural Revolution
, most legal procedures were abolished: without judges or trials, cases were decided by various levels of the Revolutionary Committees and Communist Party committees.
Donglingda execution grounds where she was bound, impaled and executed by decapitation. Her final words were: "Party, my Party! Where do you want to take me?" Four years after her execution, in the spring of 1979 she was officially proclaimed a 'martyr'; April 4, 1979 was designated the day of her memorial. Although an investigation was begun into her case, party leader Hu Yaobang
had it stopped.
Dissident
A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. When dissidents unite for a common cause they often effect a dissident movement....
during the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
who became famous for criticizing the idolization of Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
and the ultra-left
Left Communism in China
In the People's Republic of China since 1967, the terms "Ultra-Left" and "left communist" refers to political theory and practice self-defined as further "left" than that of the central Maoist leaders at the height of the GPCR . The terms are also used retroactively to describe some early 20th...
. She was imprisoned for six years (1969 to 1975) and tortured, then executed, for having opposing views while being a member of the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
.
A second party member who had expressed agreement with Zhang was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Although many consider her a heroine among the people for standing up to the party, her experience is also a reminder of the potential punishment for deviating from party principles.
She did not consider herself anti-communist, but rather a "true Marxist" for whom Mao had distorted the communist cause. Even in prison, she insisted she was a member of the Communist Party of China. Many of her points of view were similar to those of the Communist leaders who succeeded Mao. For this reason, she was rehabilitated by Hu Yaobang
Hu Yaobang
Hu Yaobang was a leader of the People's Republic of China who served as both Chairman and Party General Secretary. Hu joined the Chinese Communist Party in the 1930s, and rose to prominence as a comrade of Deng Xiaoping...
and recognized as a revolutionary martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
, a model communist.
Early biography
Zhang Zhixin was born in TianjinTianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
in 1930. She was educated in Renmin University of China
Renmin University of China
Renmin University of China; RUC, also known as People's University of China , colloquially Renda , is a major research university in Haidian District, Beijing, China. Its campus neighbors those of Peking University and Tsinghua University....
from 1951 to 1952 and later worked in this university. Zhang later became a member of the Communist Party Propaganda Department
Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
The Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China , formerly known in English as the Propaganda Department, is an internal division of the Communist Party of China in charge of ideology-related work, as well as its propaganda system...
at Liaoning province
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
.
- Zhang expressed her view:
Imprisonment and torture
In 1969, she was imprisoned in a tiny cell for her critical comments toward Mao. She saved up 2 yuanChinese yuan
The yuan is the base unit of a number of modern Chinese currencies. The yuan is the primary unit of account of the Renminbi.A yuán is also known colloquially as a kuài . One yuán is divided into 10 jiǎo or colloquially máo...
a month to purchase books to read in the facility, where she wrote her study notes on toilet paper
Toilet paper
Toilet paper is a soft paper product used to maintain personal hygiene after human defecation or urination. However, it can also be used for other purposes such as blowing one's nose when one has a cold or absorbing common spills around the house, although paper towels are more used for the latter...
. The prison guards then took her pen away. She proclaimed that the party would be "punished by history; if not sooner, then later". For a year and a half she was frequently shackled in leg iron
Fetters
Legcuffs, shackles, footcuffs, fetters or leg irons are a kind of physical restraint used on the feet or ankles to allow walking but prevent running and kicking. The term "fetter" shares a root with the word "foot"....
s and tied in a harness.
The party forced her to sign divorce papers. Confined in an all-male prison, she was raped and torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d. Other male prisoners were told they could reduce their sentences if they were willing to torture Zhang.
In a prison political educational meeting called to criticize Lin Biao, she shouted that Mao should be responsible for what Lin did. A party secretary from Liaoning Province
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
urged that she be executed quickly. During the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
, most legal procedures were abolished: without judges or trials, cases were decided by various levels of the Revolutionary Committees and Communist Party committees.
Death and posthumous rehabilitation
In 1975 she was brought to the ShenyangShenyang
Shenyang , or Mukden , is the capital and largest city of Liaoning Province in Northeast China. Currently holding sub-provincial administrative status, the city was once known as Shengjing or Fengtianfu...
Donglingda execution grounds where she was bound, impaled and executed by decapitation. Her final words were: "Party, my Party! Where do you want to take me?" Four years after her execution, in the spring of 1979 she was officially proclaimed a 'martyr'; April 4, 1979 was designated the day of her memorial. Although an investigation was begun into her case, party leader Hu Yaobang
Hu Yaobang
Hu Yaobang was a leader of the People's Republic of China who served as both Chairman and Party General Secretary. Hu joined the Chinese Communist Party in the 1930s, and rose to prominence as a comrade of Deng Xiaoping...
had it stopped.
See also
- Censorship in the People's Republic of ChinaCensorship in the People's Republic of ChinaCensorship in the People's Republic of China is implemented or mandated by the PRC's ruling party, the Communist Party of China . The special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau have their own legal systems and are largely self-governing, so these censorship policies do not apply...
- Jonathan Chaves, "A Devout Prayer of the Passion of Chang Chih-hsin," Modern Chinese Literature Newsletter, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Spring 1980), pp. 8–24.