☭☭BORN RED ☭☭

Credits to Issac Chen and Brady Bedell for giving the resources for making these flashcards.

What is the Background/Setting of the Book?

1966-1969 during the Cultural Revolution.

Who is Gao Jianhua?

He is the main character.

Who is Gao Shangui?

He is the father of Gao Yuan and the is the county leader.

What does Gao Shangui value?

• Peasants First

• Anti-Japanese

• Don’t use Violence

• Patient

Who is Gao Weihua?

He is Jianhua’s older brother.

Who is Mengzhe?

Leader of the Red Rebels

Who is Erchou?

• Member of Class 85

• Was an ally of Jianhua when they were in the Red Rebels

Little Bawang

• He was a member of class 85

• Member of East-is-Red Corps

Who is Little Mihu?

• He is a member of Class 85

• Part of East-is-Red corps.

Who is Wen Xiu?

Class 85 homeroom teacher

Who is Lin Sheng

He was the vice principle of the school. The students had eventually driven him to commit suicide.

Who is Fangpu?

• Leader of East-is-Red corps

• Exceptional Writer

• He was never accused of being counter-revolutionary

• He attempted to draft Jianhua to the EIS twice.

• Was established as a powerful political figure in the area

Who is Shuanggen?

He travelled with Jianhua in urbanized areas, and later joined the East-is-Red corps

Who is Yuling?

She was Jianhua’s English Tutor and best friend, but was unable to join the red guards due to her family background. She was eventually forced to flee the area.

Who was Songying?

A Red Rebel who was sexually harassed by the East-is-Red corps for fighting backing when the Red Rebels were losing power.

Who was Zongwei?

Jianhua’s friend who was brutally tortured and died painfully

Who was Sanxi?

Jianhua’s friend who died when the gunpower the guards were making exploded. He wasn’t treated by the hospital because he was on the opposite side of the group that controlled the army hospital.

How do the poor see the Rich?

They see them as lazy and selfish

What was school life like?

They had dorms with minimal necessities

What was PE like in the schools?

There was milita training with barbed wire and wood guns

What was the goal of school?

To teach children to be “red and expert”

What was the situation like in the Cultural Revolution?

The economy was terrible, people wore rags, and everything except food was affordable, as food was in such high demand.

What was Mao Zedong’s problem with the peasants’s situation before the Cultural Revolution?

They weren’t being considered in society and the urban class population was given more oppritunities.

What was Mao Zedong’s solution for solving the problems of pre-Cultural Revolution China?

To eliminate bourgeois ideologies.

Why was the elimination of bourgeois ideologies scary for many Chinese people?

People were afraid to express themselves in fear that people may call them out for having bourgeois ideologies. Some natural desires were also considered to be bourgeois (such as falling in love early in life), making it difficult for people to adhere.

Who did the red guard consist mostly of?

Red Guards

Who did the Red Guard accuse and attack?

Basically anyone they wanted as long as they could connect it to be anti-communist.

How did the leaders at the time influence the cultural revolution?

They used the media and their influence to manipulate people into following the direction of Mao and to attack anything they deemed anti-communist.

Why was being associated with a foreigner bad?

It is because they were accused of bringing in foreign ideologies that go against Maoism.

How did the Red Guard punish the teachers who were “anti-communist”?

They were made to commit suicide, tortured, beaten, marched in public, shaved, and killed.

How were boys and girls supposed to act in school?

Girls had to look and act in a certain way, and they couldn’t curse, while Boys made sure their family name was good.

What should you do if you were born into a revolutionary family?

You should try to be better than people who weren’t born in revolutionary family.

What was the view that people held about education?

It was very important and people needed to use their skills to help the country, and not to get power or prestige.