Transcripts For DW The Red Children 20240712

This in 1966 china was swept up by the rising tide of the cultural revolution in august more than 1000000 people gathered on chan on many square to celebrate. Chairman mao tse tung launched a movement for the masses the aim was to weed out anyone who appeared eager to steer the revolution and peoples mindsets toward capitalism the young people of china became messengers of miles communist doctrine. They were joined by people from all over the world who believed in miles philosophy. More than 400 foreigners were involved in the cultural revolution. Their sons and daughters known as the red children were given a communist education and as teenagers were drawn into the revolution their lives are a missing page in an otherwise well known chapter of chinese history. The story of the red children begins with that of their parents during this tumultuous period of the 20th century they left their homes with the dream of helping to found a new china. For someone say you my father was born into an upper middle class jewish family in england. That you. 2 are but in 1028 my grandfathers business failed and he went bankrupt. Was in my father moved to china in 1938 ounce or reading the book red star over china and he was impressed with the actions of the Chinese Communist party. Official got the. Red star over china depict mao to dong as a hero aims to save the poor and pursue social equality for the masses knowledge stablished the base of the revolution and you are not a remote part of central china. In an era when poverty in persecution were spreading throughout the world miles philosophy attracted young idealists like michael crooks father. And i should go i found his 1st destination was. Its here he wanted to meet these great people that he had read about. Like mounted on a joy and not with you all this either. In 1939 michaels father david met canadian born Isabella Brown they married soon afterward the couple worked for the communist regime as language teachers for diplomats and other officials. My nama is me me mel that my name is mimi miller nines i was born in china in 1950. My father my father was huntsman who was german. Because he was half jewish he had to flee nazi persecution in germany and the nazi died. In 1933 the nazis seized power in germany after graduating from high school and millar escaped from a labor camp and fled to switzerland. While studying medicine at the university of basel he formed friendships with leftwing classmates including some International Students from china. At the time china was fighting against japanese expansionism a chinese friend suggested that hans miller go to china and support the communists. After graduating from university or wanted to aid the fight against fascism and decided to put his medical skills to use in china. In 1939 after 5 months of travel here arrived at the base of the revolutionaries in the media play requested to work at the front of the tunnel and the way to young on was relates carolus sometimes they had to break through the enemy blockades in the middle of a nice size one soldier suffered a ruptured you rethrow on the battlefield but there were very few surgeons in the area who were able to use modern surgical scalpels i know usually my father operated on him using the scalpel he brought from switzerland. The surgery went well. And the people of the village started calling him the buddhist saint of the west. In 1905 when she was just 14. Went to manchuria to study at a japanese Nursing School soon afterward japan was defeated and the 2nd world war was over leaving cocoa stranded in the chaos and unable to return home. Soon after that the chinese civil war resume as a nurse kyoko naca moro was invaluable to the communists she was assigned to the front where she met dr hans muller who was working for the chinese army. When they were the right that know what. 2 i was surprised to see as european dogs in the communist ani. Yes it was hard for me to understand. That you think. At 1st coco not them are always hesitant but she eventually found herself attracted to how. 2 they fell in love and resent. They joked about how to german fascism and japanese fascism met and got married in the Chinese Communist army after the war they stayed in china and in 1950 mimi was born in beijing i am in october 1949 mounted on founded the peoples republic of china and quickly became a hero to the Chinese People. About 100 foreigners from the us in europe was subscribed amounts or domes beliefs were given important positions and they enjoyed generous privileges. Foreigners were few and far between in china at that time the families of red children received special treatment but also began to integrate into chinese society. Foreign ones are you telling our Economic Situation was relatively good my parents got a higher salary than their chinese colleagues so you are an idiot or youre sure its always you know. Most of the red children and their families were provided with accommodation in the form of dormitories or rooms in what was called the Friendship Hotel in beijing. Compared with Chinese People the foreigners enjoyed good treatment but they were still subject to the control of the communist party and faced restrictions on moving freely to different provinces and choosing their jobs. Read children attended local schools and receive the same education as chinese children they soon became fluent in chinese. Shallot the each year. The 1st phrase i learned in Primary School was the re for chairman mao. Hall and the next were labor and farmer. My mother supported me and was very strict in what she taught me the farmers are suffering from poverty and landowners are crooks. They would teach us these ideas in the form of fairy tales if were getting into it i accepted this education without questioning it just as she shot him in the church i dont see it 100 chains on the job. In the 1950 s. A Development Boom began in the urban areas of beijing. With the cold war dividing europe and the west the communist party actively recruited experts from around the world for their professional and technical skills. My name is money. I was born in mostly a 945. My father was an architect in 1951 he decided to go to china to help with the countrys development. Father laon while i was born in beijing in 1912 to a chinese father and a polish mother. Studied in paris and married here than a french woman during the 2nd world war he joined the resistance and fought against the german occupation. After the war laon worked as an architect in marsay he had a good life in france but the opportunity to build up a new country appealed to him. My brothers to china as he was homeless and felt that socialism was going well then. My parents were both members of the french communist party. They decided to go to china to give the full support of the country. In 1051 family boarded a cruise ship and moved to china. Leones experience as an architect in france was valued highly he played a central role in beijings urban planning designing a hospital highway bridges and many other structures. In there my mother worked at China Radio International and became a pioneer of the french broadcasting establishment. The familys happy life soon came to an end in 1957 months father was caught up in an Unforeseen Development which units are the vehicle which we yet for my father pointed out that beijing city hall was 2 luxury s. In addition he submitted his opinion to the beijing institute of architectural design. All he did was provide advice on technical issues but it resulted in him being put before a Kangaroo Court so the ego. At the time china was engaged in an anti Rightist Movement scholars and intellectuals who criticized the communists were branded as members of the right wing. They were denounced and forced to undergo reeducation and state sponsored manual labor programs. The roots of the movement can be traced back to the soviet Union Following the death of stalin in 1953 his successor Nikita Khrushchev launched a series of political reforms in 1956 he condemned some of those crimes committed under stalin and the cult of personality that had surrounded him. Seizing the opportunity and electros in hungary poland and other communist countries in Eastern Europe encouraged uprisings in hope of bringing about reforms the soviet union responded by dispatching its military to crush the opposition. Mounted dome was wary about the prospect of similar events in china he cracked down on intellectuals who criticized the party and branded over half a 1000000 people as right wing radicals. They are and while i was among them he was removed from his position as supervisor of a Major Development project and forced to work on the construction site for a year after her father was branded a rightist also suffered repercussions. Oh national washouts when i was in Junior High School i got into quarrels with my classmates they called me a little rightist. I got back at my classmates by slapping them in the face but it happened pretty awful. For i was angry that my father was dismissed as rightwing so i was even angrier when they called me a little bright. So. Chairman mao i want to china to become the leader of a communist world replacing the soviet union. He boasted that china would surpass britain within 15 yr and in 1958 he launched the great leap forward the entire nation was expected to participate in agricultural and industrial development. The farming system was to be collectivized by placing it under the direct control of what we called peoples communes. Banned private sector farms and strictly rationed Food Distribution around the country. Between 158160 2 at least 45000000 people. Worked starved beaten to death during the great leap forward food is forcibly taken from the countryside in order to see people in the cities in other words cities off friends thought. And they live in the bubble all information is strictly controlled. Very difficult for ordinary people never mind foreigners to actually know what is happening in the countryside. Following collectivization and the destruction and collapse of Agricultural Production Food Shortages began to reach the cities. But the communist party regulated the media so the public was initially unaware of the situation. In 1962 the Party Leadership assessed the progress of the great leap forward. She was heir apparent inspected the grim reality of rural areas and admitted the partys failure you reintroduced some capitalist policies that mao had a limited. Amount of fear that this failure could be used to undermine his authority the result was the cultural revolution shortly after the founding of the peoples republic in 1949 the communist party had also set up a nationwide Youth Organization called the Young Pioneers. It sought to train the new generation to become the communist leaders of the future joining the Young Pioneers was effectively mandatory for schoolchildren and their red neckerchief remains to this day a symbol of pride and belonging. What you should not i was told that it was part of the National Flag almost died in the blood of the motss of the revolution. My parents were very happy that i joined tonight took me on a trip to the great war with you. When i wore my red scarf and i felt really on and. In 1966 miles launched the cultural revolution in order to realize his ideal communist state he launched a nationwide campaign to eliminate dissidents and reeducate the Chinese People. Relied primarily on loyal young activists who had been steeped in his communist philosophy since childhood. They were highly motivated to overthrow any leaders of the communist party that might have had capitalist leanings. In main 1966 maos stablished the Cultural Revolution Group centered on his wife jiang ching. The propaganda arm of the party and the peoples daily newspaper wielded the effective power in the group they began to disseminate propaganda about the cultural revolution and mahlers ideology around the same time some middle School Students in beijing formed a group called the red guard. They said they wanted to combat socalled revisionist authorities and attitudes soon red guard units began emerging in schools across the country in the early stages of the cultural revolution procommunist foreigners were not allowed to assume active roles. Most of them were forced to remain in the Friendship Hotel and were placed under the supervision of the state administration of Foreign Experts Affairs so you go throughout he usually following chairman maos instructions nanda chinese were eventually allowed to participate in the revolution. As you young foreigners wanted to form a team of their own. Hugo one that since you say you got our parents encouraged us for so we built up a youth group for. Us. That washerwoman even though we were teenagers we wanted to be critical as well. Michael crook like other chinese teenagers believed in the political ideals of the cultural revolution at the time young people always carried a Little Red Book called quotations from chairman mao tse tung. That provided an introduction to his ideas and thoughts about the communist party and was originally published by the Peoples Liberation army in 1964. During the 10 years of the cultural revolution an estimated 1000000000 copies of the Little Red Book were printed and sold in china together with the selected works of mao zedong it was regarded by maos supporters as one of the treasured read books. At school and in the workplace everybody read it. Miles thoughts had infiltrated the public consciousness. In the summer of 1966 a series of events was organized to advertise the cultural revolution the rallies were captured on government propaganda film. If it was easy if the child was looking it was you know if you cut the ice you still played elwood she is still going it seems you. Granted Free Transportation for all participants over 1000000 Young Students from all over china attended a series of rallies. Also ordered the gatherings to be broadcast in theaters around the country to promote the movement and create an appealing image of the red guards. Woman before the bell so they have other things till they do the things that please the list of those. Things ill play being so little a serial d. D. s i one regard later said we were enthusiastic maoist but at the same time we were a people discontented with reality i knew from a little before him a 4 year why did the teenagers actively participate in the cultural revolution and join the red gangster sure. Its. Or because we were rebellious you know as usual and chairman mao said teenage is full of energy. So you go lets hear that sure sure sure joe its you. At the rallies the leaders called for the red guards to destroy the 4 old old customs culture habits and ideas which they regarded as remnants of feudal and borzois society. The red guard soon set about destroying traditional temples buddhist statues and other Cultural Treasures anything deemed to symbolize the old authority. Meanwhile the landowners and wealthy citizens believed to be capitalists were subject to do a show trials scholars writers and artists were assaulted and in some cases beaten to death the police stood by silently. Mimi mullers chinese friends became red guards and took part in the cultural revolution she also read the Little Red Book every day on the bus and was proud to spread chairman maos doctrine. But her father hans muller who had helped to build the new china started to have doubts about the cultural revolution old comrades who had fought alongside him now found themselves coming under fire. Well paddy im sure you men will allow my father told be very clearly if you resort to violence do not come back home. So i try to limit my involvement what your fight now known to always been. At the time reading peoples homes had become a popular pastime among the red guards they would break into the homes of suspected capitalists searching for Hidden Assets and any papers to prove ownership of land which were held up as evidence of counter revolutionary activity which. I have to watch is that your show and that my friends called me to search our classmates house mema their show on our show is counterfeited on phone this kind of thing was allowed back then. Huge huge charge and you know that yahoo down. They fought us mail but to my father this access and forgivable. So it was difficult for me to make a decision that sounded bad. After some consideration i decided my father was wrong in this case. And i talked to him and he said much if you join to any violent activities you must leave this household. So. So i only took part on one occasion. I watched without saying anything. When i broke into the house and i was confused. To handle. I dont remember a thing which it is that they are my only memory is up a piece of gold rolling past me just a comment on what i. Want to see that challenge jordan the egyptian at the time i thought it was the right thing to do for the revolution i didnt have any doubts. To chanels really get down and i didnt even think about why. Lots of your ways are meant to do just like wearing the latest fashion is built into we didnt if asked for a reason but the asian nation woman has a hunch or with our sounds out. Of the show why should say selfdelusion heads in there sure how to make wish i was only 13 years old when the cultural revolution began to try a major law for your i was very active. We broke into the offices of the art and music teachers its really good the good ones too tried to beat the teacher with a battle b. But it was stopped by the other students. Are you know what oh oh wait altruist i want went back to visit my former principal who i respected. You for your shed been beaten by her students and had her leg broken but she still had trouble walking when i visited her all those years later huge ego of the sure her voice you are you sure you were. One year before the cultural revolution began monique while i had returned to france to study. Every. Day i found out that the cultural revolution was underway in china when i knew there were reports about it in the newspaper this. Year and i wanted to go back and see what was happening but if i stood in front i would never know the truth i think. What i wanted to see it with my own millions. But. In the summer of 1967 monique dropped out of university and returned to china believing that helping the cultural revolution was a once in a lifetime opportunity but what she witnessed there was different from what she had imagined. So hero as you are to be sure is and then why was theres so much chaos. At one time i saw someone being paraded around with her arms down behind her back. An old woman who was forced to wear large cone shaped hats had an idea over there. And its all about that whole i witnessed scenes like this all around the city. Tony the young people didnt have any sympathy they would even make fun of them being with auntie and ordering. Gentil marta went to shore. And the whole i by heard that in my school the red guards had basin and heated to death i know that i should be at the house. That teacher was a very unassuming person. C. H. Teacher and on the way to her i started to have doubts about the cultural revolution and where did miles i dont think this would lead. To. The revolution also spread to the workplace and local Government Special red guard factions sprang up everywhere and anyone who opposed them would be punished senior managers and political figures were replaced one after another. Eventually the purges reached the top of the government in 1987 lucia she was dismissed as president summarily tried and placed under house arrest. Following severe maltreatment his health deteriorated he died in prison and was cremated in secrecy. You would see me on october 17th 1967 a rebel faction of the beijing Foreign Studies University seized my father and accused him of being a foreign spy when i was told. Michael crooks father david taught at the university before he was arrested on campus by a rebel faction and taken to an unknown location. His family tried desperately to find out where he was. A mother and i came to appeal for his release. She said to the rebels you are wrong to detain my husband david and i on not just married we are comrades and partners of the revolution. She was then also seized by the rebel faction. A lot of the foreigners were targeted during the cultural revolution. The wrongful capture of my father is just one example of your money. Its a come on to 66. 00 a lot of the slogans are about capitalist road reversion ists a year later its all about trade to spy. Run again. Its not just about foreigners who might be spies its about anybody who might have an and any link with the foreigner. So so coming on to 67 onwards there is a great witch hunt. Susanna a friend of michaels was born in beijing to a chinese father and an american actress. Her father. Had been born in the u. S. To chinese expectorants and became a leading expert in metallurgy in 1950 he went to help with the establishment of the new china and became the director of an Important Research laboratory. Because you had to pay you came from the us and had an american wife he was criticized by a rebel faction within the laboratory and he was violently denounced. In 1988 he was held captive for a year in a cabin near the laboratory although he was the director he was not permitted to continue his work instead he was ordered to clean the toilets. After his release he had to pay was diagnosed with late stage cancer but he continued writing his Research Papers trying to contribute what he could to chinas progress as a suspected counterrevolutionary he was denied treatment and eventually died. You know what. China destroyed my father. He could have done so much for china. Just by all he went through he went back to help the Chinese People. In 1967 and 68 a power struggle emerged among various rebel groups in cities around the Country Armed guards continued to turn around and kill one another. In shanghai she chong ching and other places rebel factions seized weapons from factories the cultural revolution devolved into a massive armed struggle. To combat this in december 1968 mona introduced a new policy measure called the down to the Countryside Movement the Young Leaders of the cultural revolution were encouraged to move from the urban to rural areas. Under the pretext of learning true values from poor farmers some 16000000. 00 people were relocated to rural labor programs for several years. Before been use proven unsuited for farm work but their removal did help to reduce the violence committed by red guards in the cities michel crook and many of the other foreign red children were not sent to rural areas or ordered to work in factories in beijing michael worked in an Agricultural Machinery factory that tried in the factory we stood in a line in front of paul try to. Every want to help the Little Red Book and sang a song to. Michaels reeducation in this factory continued for 2 years then he worked at a car repair factory for another 2 years in late 1968 the rebel faction at the Radio Station where monique was mother worked arrested monique without warning they had tapped her phone and had been monitoring her behavior. Why. Do it so i was stunned and wondered what was going to happen. So down and confess your model you throw newspaper was chairman maos portrait on this in the trash wrong that you know where you are youre both to defame chairman mao is to defame everyone you down the wall with no one will forgive you. Changed your opinion if you do not confess your parents and your brother and sister will have no future. For. Me me but then you saw i was threatened like this day after day which are in the many candles or do you know. No one told one example you that she had been taken away her sister katrine 14 years old at the time couldnt understand what was happening what should they say we were sharing a room and all my sisters belongings were seized you will measure your question for a while i had no idea where my sister went oh. My gosh my mother was crying every day. My father was also very worried what you see but we didnt know what to do you know who that. Money was subjected to intensive questioning for more than a month she was told that if she confessed to her crime she would be released. So she signed her arrest warrant she did not know what was to come. Her and they dont. What did your daughter then they told me that i was officially arrested. I couldnt believe it. So i had signed exactly what they told me to. I wanted to scream but i couldnt so that is what happened so much happened all at once gerry their own daughter. I had signed the warrant. Now i was speechless. And. Although she had done nothing when a question are judged as a foreign spy mansion to a prison in beijing that held people accused of political crime. I told them what im sure for the 1st couple of months they gave me a book quotations from chairman mao and. She how they are for all of those and yet when i said i wanted to read Something Else they asked me whether i understood the entire book yet. Also i said most of it. I told me i was an insolent person youre a criminal keep reading. You have a hard time you know let me hear so i had no choice but to read it. Eventually i began to deny the charges i was deceived by rebel faction and i signed the arrest warrant even though i menace and. They were shot when the. China comic book i 10 every time i thought about it my entire body hurt and i was numb with pain. My more time with. It continued like that for 3 years. I spent my time looking at the tree outside the prison all the time. Made him kind of a fool i started talking to the trees or tell you. Other than are looking at the tree in this talk reminds me of those days to go boy bush lawyers he said he cut all show high just how long theyve had this for. In 1971 monique was sent to a labor camp she was released one year later there is no evidence of money ever being a spy. In the meantime a shift was underway that would have a profound impact on the lives of the red children. Amid rising tensions between china and the soviet Union Beijing sought to resume diplomatic relations with japan and the west this paved the way for a visit by u. S. President Richard Nixon in 1972 a historic event that ended 25 years of hostility and shift the balance of power in the cold war. As chinas International Relationships improved foreigners who had been wrongfully accused and imprisoned were released including michael crooks parents. In 1973 state premier joanna lie spoke at a gathering of foreign citizens to apologize on behalf of the government for their treatment during the cultural revolution. Maybe muller who had joined in at least one house raid left her factory in beijing after 2 years and reenrolled in university she married a swiss man and left china in 1976. Susanna yeah who had lost her father who left china for the u. S. In 1973 she still lives in san francisco. Thats a mirror michael cook and his brothers moved to their fathers native britain they attended university there before michael returned to china. To tone died in 1976 the man who had had such a drastic impact on the lives of the red children the socalled gang of 4 of elite political leaders including maos 3rd wife jiang chaney were arrested on charges of conspiracy against the state and party. Revolution have come to an end. The key must be that mao at this point has pretty much the cheve what he wanted to achieve hes eliminated most of his i mean hes. He as asserted as absolute authority and also tom ford has been written back into the constitution and there are no animes left standing. To join and seeing that he. I have tried to forget those painful memories. I dont want to remember the cultural revolutions and all. Now that. I feel chinese inside i feel this is my country looking back on the cultural revolution i think it was a. It was a soul stirring event. Money quad returned to paris in 1975 and worked as a chinese teacher until her retirement she published a set of chinese textbooks that became very popular in france and are still in print. But few readers were aware of the authors difficult early life in china. Eventually her parents also came back and spent their later life in france but the 3 of them never managed to reflect upon their life together in china. So you know its in seattle were you there for a couple of weeks before my father passed away i went out to the suburbs with him on the fire the younger he took a look around and said he felt like a child too often. Hey lets go to that Chinese Restaurant someday and have dinner with everybody the one at your high oh so you know each other if youve forgotten all the painful memories in this young of the. Cultural revolution in terms of death is actually not all that exceptional probably only up to about 2000000 people actually lost their lives between 19661976 when chairman mao dives but the key to understanding the damage done during the cultural revolution to ordinary people is not to look at death but to look at loss of trauma loss of face loss of trust in social relationships where people are obliged to denounce not only neighbors and colleagues but also their own family members where the entire social fabric is destroyed. In 1981 the communist party issued an appraisal of the countrys modern history its the cultural revolution had been a serious mistake but the amounts are tomes achievements outweighed his failures. The idealists who travelled from overseas to help create a new china. And their red children who grow up amid the oh peoples of the cultural revolution. 2 generations whose lives were indelibly shaped by their experiences of red china. Its a prolonged pitstop for formula one because of the coronavirus that Lewis Hamilton and his colleagues are still florists. Now theyre doing it virtually but theyre being left in the dust. The game is up pacing the stars the formula one. Read. In 30 minutes on d w. M good shape do you have as many imperfections as i do my body for cancer my resting heart rate charging high and i really have to do something about my wrinkles talks a constant records not says self optimization is me trying to stay as much news not convinced so whats the point can we be perfectly happy to. Be good shape. 60 minutes on d w. What secrets lie behind this one. Discover new adventures in 360 degree. And explore the mating World Heritage sites of the. World heritage 362 you get kidnapped now. This is deja vu news live from berlin as the u. S. Sees record surges in coronavirus cases donald trump gives another divisive speech on the white house lawn the u. S. President fails what he calls the countrys progress against the condemning and vows to protect an american way of life that he says is under attack also coming out. Pints are being pulled