Kuai Dafu
Kuai Dafu (Chin. 蒯大富; born September 13, 1945 in Jiangsu Province, Binhai County) was one of the five great student leaders who led the Red Guards in China's Cultural Revolution .
Life
youth
His parents were farmers and members of the Chinese Communist Party . In 1953, Kuai Dafu started school at the age of eight. His father also supported and taught him at home, so that Kuai Dafu became a good student and later got good grades in middle school. In 1960 Kuai Dafu went to high school. He studied hard but was not a bookworm and attended events organized by the school. Later he not only took part in these, but helped to organize them. Here he also joined the Communist Youth League (chin. 共青团).
In 1963 he successfully graduated from high school and enrolled at Qinghua University in Beijing (北京) in September . Here he began to study technical chemistry. He continued to organize events and activities that were popular with students. An activist group was formed around Kuai Dafu, in which he had the say. Many students listened to him, which later in the Cultural Revolution enabled him to quickly set up a rebel army that was subordinate to him.
Cultural revolution
In 1966 the Cultural Revolution (chin. 文化大革命) broke out in China. Kuai Dafu gathered the students, explained his position on the Cultural Revolution and convinced them that it was necessary for the students to participate in this revolution. At first, the students met secretly in small groups. On May 29, 1966, the first Red Guards (chin. 红卫兵) were first organized at Qinghua University. But Kuai Dafu only became the leader of the Red Guards after Mao had quoted and supported him at a meeting.
In order to control the Cultural Revolution to some extent, the CCP sent groups of workers (Chinese: 工作 组) to schools and universities. However, these were very unpopular with schoolchildren and students. Kuai Dafu declared war on these working groups, which is why he was expelled from the Communist Youth League in June 1966. In late July 1966, Mao Zedong declared that the working groups were hindering the development of the Cultural Revolution and that control should instead be given to the masses alone. Kuai Dafu and his Red Guards felt they were vindicated by Mao. The working groups were withdrawn and the Red Guards formed across the country.
Kuai Dafu now enlarged the organization of the Red Guards at Qinghua University and gave them the name "Fighters from Jinggangshan" (Chinese 井冈山 兵团, named after the Jinggang Mountains , the place of origin of the People's Liberation Army and the cradle of the Chinese Revolution in 1927).
On December 25, 1966, Kuai Dafu led over 5,000 people from Qinghua University to Tian'anmen Square . On the way they shouted slogans like “Down with Liu Shaoqi !” Or “Down with Deng Xiaoping !” Another approach was the siege of Zhongnanhai (government district and headquarters of the Communist Party in Beijing). The Red Guards surrounded Zhongnanhai day and night and requested the extradition of Liu Shaoqi. When that didn't work either, Kuai Dafu used a ruse. He called Wang Guangmei , Ms. Liu Shaoqi, claiming that her daughter was in an accident and is now in the hospital. So he managed to lure Wang Guangmei out. Kuai Dafu had her arrested by the Red Guards and in April 1967 she was forced to self-criticize in front of a huge crowd, which was the common practice at the time. Liu Shaoqi was finally arrested that year and died in custody two years later.
In 1968, another Red Guards group formed at Qinghua University. This group sought to control the university and was thus in direct contrast to the Red Guards of Kuai Dafu. In April 1968, Kuai Dafu called for a fight, which was later referred to as the Hundred Days Fight at Qinghua University (Chinese: 清华 百日 大 武斗). Many people were killed or injured on both sides in this fight. To stop these fighting, Mao sent teams of the working class (Chinese: 工 宣 队) to represent his political thinking in schools and universities. These teams were supported by the People's Liberation Army. When Kuai Dafu found out about this, he proposed a truce to the other Red Guards group. The two groups joined forces and cordoned off the university. When the workers' teams arrived, a fight broke out. Five workers were killed and 731 people injured. Mao was beside himself when he found out about it.
On July 28, 1968, Mao, Lin Biao, and Zhou Enlai received the five Red Guards leaders, Nie Yuanzi , Kuai Dafu, Tan Houlan, Han Aijing, and Wang Dabin. The interview lasted about five hours. The main criticism was the behavior of the Red Guards. The idea, of course, was that the Red Guards should obey. The only one Mao called by name was Kuai Dafu. That made the allegations very personal to him and he couldn't forget about it for a long time. After this criticism, the five leaders returned to their universities and ordered the Red Guards to lay down their arms and receive the workers' teams.
After graduating from college, Kuai Dafu was sent to an aluminum factory in Qingtongxia, Ningxia Autonomous Region in December 1968 as a re-education to work. There he worked as an electrolysis worker until he had to answer for the crimes of the Cultural Revolution.
After the Cultural Revolution
From 1970 to 1987, Kuai Dafu was sentenced to prison and forced labor in a Beijing chemical plant as punishment for his crimes. Furthermore, he was not allowed to use his political right to vote for four years. After he was released in 1987, he went back to the aluminum factory and continued to work there. It was there that he met his wife Luo Xiaobo. The two married in August 1988 in Nanking (Nanjing). Kuai Dafu renounced his rebellious character and focused on family life. In 1992, the family and young daughter moved to Penglai City, Shandong Province. Kuai Dafu has been working for an Internet company in Beijing since 1993.
literature
- 红卫兵 “五大 领袖“ 浮沉 录 之 二: 蒯大富 in 党史 博采 02/2008 page 21ff.
Footnotes
- ↑ 红卫兵 “五大 领袖“ 浮沉 录 之 二: 蒯大富 in 党史 博采 page 21
- ↑ 红卫兵 “五大 领袖“ 浮沉 录 之 二: 蒯大富 in 党史 博采 page 22
- ↑ 红卫兵 “五大 领袖“ 浮沉 录 之 二: 蒯大富 in 党史 博采 page 24
- ↑ 红卫兵 “五大 领袖“ 浮沉 录 之 二: 蒯大富 in 党史 博采 page 25
- ↑ 红卫兵 “五大 领袖“ 浮沉 录 之 二: 蒯大富 in 党史 博采 page 25
- ↑ 红卫兵 “五大 领袖“ 浮沉 录 之 二: 蒯大富 in 党史 博采 page 26
- ↑ 红卫兵 “五大 领袖“ 浮沉 录 之 二: 蒯大富 in 党史 博采 page 28
- ↑ 红卫兵 “五大 领袖“ 浮沉 录 之 二: 蒯大富 in 党史 博采 page 28
- ↑ 红卫兵 “五大 领袖“ 浮沉 录 之 二: 蒯大富 in 党史 博采 page 28
- ↑ 红卫兵 “五大 领袖“ 浮沉 录 之 二: 蒯大富 in 党史 博采 page 29
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kuai, Dafu |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | 蒯大富 |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Chinese student leader in the Cultural Revolution of China, leader of the Red Guards |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 13, 1945 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Jiangsu |