This. In 1966 china was swept up by the rising tide of the cultural revolution in august more than 1000000 people gathered on kent on men 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. Well foods in force i would say. 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 938 hours to reading the book red star over china and he was impressed with the actions of the Chinese Communist party you. Dont. Read star over china depicts mao tse dong as a hero aims to save the poor and pursue social equality for the masses. Stablished the base of the revolution in a remote part of central china. In an era when poverty and persecution were spreading throughout the world miles philosophy attracted young idealists like michael crooks fought for the door but i assure you my fathers 1st destination was john i was here he wanted to meet these great people that he had read about. Like mounted on enjoying life with the obvious either. In 1939 michaels father david met canadian born isabel 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 male left 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 in nazi knights land. In 1933 the nazis seized power in germany after graduating from high school and miller 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 1039 after 5 months of travel here right at the base of the revolutionaries and immediately requested to work at the front of the tunnel and the way to young on was relax harold sometimes they had to break through the enemy blockades in the middle of the night that one soldier suffered a ruptured your research on the battlefield but there were very few surgeons in the area who were able to use modern surgical scalpels i will use. My father operated on him using the scalpel he brought from switzerland for. 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. There with the roy demo on. The 2 i was surprised to see a european dog in the communist delany. He said was hard for me to understand. Because i think. At 1st conoco morrow was hesitant but she eventually found herself attracted to hans muller 2 they fell in love and resent married they joked about how german fascism and japanese fascism met and got married in the Chinese Communist army after the war they stayed in china and in 1950 minnie was born in beijing 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 u. S. In europe was subscribed amounts or dont believe 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 yalit theology our Economic Situation was relatively good my parents got a higher salary then their chinese colleagues say 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 could the 1st phrase i learned in Primary School was the re for chairman mao the whole of 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 sounded mean that you should always be 100 chins on the. 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 you know in 1951 he decided to go to china to help with the countrys development. Needs father laon was born in beijing in 1912 to a chinese father and a polish mother. Studied in paris and married here in iran 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 and more say he had a good life in france but the opportunity to build up a new country appealed to him. My brothers to china as his homeless and felt that socialism was going wrong. 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. Westernesse 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 1057 months father was caught up in an Unforeseen Development which in that you have feelings for which we. Were my father pointed out that beijing city hall was to look julius. 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 you know your friends or you go if you knew you. 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 intellectuals 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. Dont 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. Play on 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 monique also suffered repercussions on her shoulder 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 it happened pretty awful. For instance i was angry that my father was dismissed as right wing so i was even angrier when they called me a little shit so you know patton. Chairman mao want to china to become the leader of a communist world replacing the soviet union. He boasted that china would surpass britain within 15 years 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 were called peoples communes. Banned private sector farms and strictly rationed Food Distribution around the country. Between 158160 2 at least 45000000 people. Would starve beaten to death during the great leap forward food is forcibly taken from the countryside in order to see people in the cities and other words cities off fenced off 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 ProductionFood 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. Away you should not i was told that it was part of the National Flag i missed 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 wall with you. When i wore my red scarf and i felt really on a. 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. Now 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 may 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. 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 its very youth group. That washerwoman even though we were teenagers we wanted to be critical as well. Michel croaks 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 says he made the challenge look it was you know if you dont play dell was a silly since 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. Well maybe the other policies they have all the things still they do the things that please god bless all of those. Things ok lady in lucys ill days yes i one regard later said we were enthusiastic mauers but at the same time we were a people discontented with reality i knew for a moment well before we were before here why did the teenage is actively participate in the cultural revolution and join the red gangster sure. Its. Because we were rebellious you. Chairman mao san teenage is full of energy so you go lets hear that shows your shit with you. At the rallies the leaders called for the red guards to destroy the 4 olt 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 land owners and wealthy citizens believed to be capitalists were subjected to 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 you may 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 youll find now long. 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 to ownership of land which were held up as evidence of counterrevolutionary activity. That again hopeful its true and that my friend called me to search our classmates house mema and their shahana show his hand to shoot it down from this kind of thing i was allowed back then. Shoot shoot shoot charge and you know thats our house down. They fought us mail but to my father this access and forgivable just of a father 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 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. Just. I dont remember a thing which it is that they are my only memory is up a piece of gold rolling past me. On what i. Want to see that challenge jordan 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 we should let some of you weigh sharma just like wearing the latest fashion is built into we didnt ask for a reason but the. Woman shot you with our sounds out. Of the wash and say. They sure had made course i was only 13 years old when the cultural revolution began to try me for last year year year i was very active. She. Broke into the offices of the art and music teachers its really good b