The Rusticated Youth of China
Encyclopedia
The Rusticated Youth of China , also referred to as zhiqing, is a term used in the People's Republic of China
to refer to a young person who had received a high level of education, especially those who, beginning in the 1950s until the end of the Cultural Revolution
, willingly or under coercion, left the urban areas and were rusticated to rural areas to assume peasant
lives. The vast majority of those who went had received elementary to high school education, and only a small minority had matriculated to the post-secondary or university level.
was established, in order to resolve employment problems in the cities, starting in the 1950s youth from urban areas were organized to move to the rural countryside, especially in remote towns to establish farms. As early as 1953, the People's Daily
published the editorial "Organize school graduates to participate in agricultural production labor". In 1955, Mao Zedong
asserted that "the countryside is a vast expanse of heaven and earth where we can flourish", which would become the slogan for the Down to the Countryside Movement
. Beginning in this year, the Communist Youth League
organized farming, and encouraged the youth to cultivate the land. From 1962, it was suggested that the Down to the Countryside Movement be nationally organized, and in 1964 the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
established an oversight group.
In 1966, under the influence of the Cultural Revolution
, university entrance examinations were suspended and until 1968, many students were unable to receive admittance into university or become employed. Additionally, the chaos surrounding the Revolution from 1966 to 1968 caused the Communist Party
to realize that a way was needed to assign the youth to working positions, to avoid losing control of the situation. On December 12, 1968, Chairman Mao
directed the People's Daily to publish a piece entitled "We too have two hands, let us not laze about in the city", which quoted Mao as saying "The intellectual youth must go to the country, and will be educated from living in rural poverty." In 1969 many youth were rusticated. Middle school students were organized and assigned on a national level to the countryside. In 1971, numerous problems with the movement began to come to light, at the same time as the Communist Party allocated jobs to the youth who were returning from the country. However, the majority of these re-urbanized youth had taken advantage of personal relations
to leave the countryside. Those directed to deal with the "Project 571
" coup denounced the entire movement as being disguised labor reform. In 1976, even Mao realized the severity of the rustication movement and decided to reexamine the issue. But in the meantime, over a million youth continued to be rusticated every year.
, the youth implored the government to hear their plight in the form of strikes and petitions, which reinforced the pressing nature of the issue to party authorities. On March 8, 1980, Hu Yaobang
, General Secretary
of the Central Committee of the Communist Party
, proposed ending rustication. On October 1 of the same year, the party essentially decided to end the movement and allow the youth to return to their families in the cities. In addition, under age and marriage restriction, one child per family of the rusticated youth were permitted to accompany their parents to their native cities.
In the late 1970s, the so-called scar literature
included many vivid and realistic descriptions their experiences, becoming the first public exploration of the cost of the Cultural Revolution.
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
to refer to a young person who had received a high level of education, especially those who, beginning in the 1950s until the end of 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...
, willingly or under coercion, left the urban areas and were rusticated to rural areas to assume peasant
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
lives. The vast majority of those who went had received elementary to high school education, and only a small minority had matriculated to the post-secondary or university level.
Origins
After the People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
was established, in order to resolve employment problems in the cities, starting in the 1950s youth from urban areas were organized to move to the rural countryside, especially in remote towns to establish farms. As early as 1953, the People's Daily
People's Daily
The People's Daily is a daily newspaper in the People's Republic of China. The paper is an organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China , published worldwide with a circulation of 3 to 4 million. In addition to its main Chinese-language edition, it has editions in English,...
published the editorial "Organize school graduates to participate in agricultural production labor". In 1955, 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...
asserted that "the countryside is a vast expanse of heaven and earth where we can flourish", which would become the slogan for the Down to the Countryside Movement
Down to the Countryside Movement
The Down to the Countryside Movement was a policy instituted in the People's Republic of China in the late 1960s and early 1970s. As a result of the anti-bourgeois thinking prevalent during the Cultural Revolution, Mao Zedong declared certain privileged urban youth would be sent to mountainous...
. Beginning in this year, the Communist Youth League
Communist Youth League
The Communist Youth League of China also known as the China Youth League is a youth movement of the People's Republic of China for youth between the ages of fourteen and twenty-eight, run by Communist Party of China. The league is organized on the party pattern. Its leader is its First Secretary...
organized farming, and encouraged the youth to cultivate the land. From 1962, it was suggested that the Down to the Countryside Movement be nationally organized, and in 1964 the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China is the highest authority within the Communist Party of China. Its approximately 350 members and alternates are selected once every five years by the National Party Congress....
established an oversight group.
In 1966, under the influence of 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...
, university entrance examinations were suspended and until 1968, many students were unable to receive admittance into university or become employed. Additionally, the chaos surrounding the Revolution from 1966 to 1968 caused the Communist Party
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...
to realize that a way was needed to assign the youth to working positions, to avoid losing control of the situation. On December 12, 1968, Chairman Mao
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...
directed the People's Daily to publish a piece entitled "We too have two hands, let us not laze about in the city", which quoted Mao as saying "The intellectual youth must go to the country, and will be educated from living in rural poverty." In 1969 many youth were rusticated. Middle school students were organized and assigned on a national level to the countryside. In 1971, numerous problems with the movement began to come to light, at the same time as the Communist Party allocated jobs to the youth who were returning from the country. However, the majority of these re-urbanized youth had taken advantage of personal relations
Guanxi
Guanxi describes the basic dynamic in personalized networks of influence, and is a central idea in Chinese society. In Western media, the pinyin romanization of this Chinese word is becoming more widely used instead of the two common translations—"connections" and "relationships"—as neither of...
to leave the countryside. Those directed to deal with the "Project 571
Project 571 Outline
Project 571 was the numeric codename given to an alleged plot or coup d'etat against Chinese leader Mao Zedong in 1971 by the supporters of Lin Biao, then Vice-Chairman of the Communist Party of China. The operations were supposedly led by Lin's son, Lin Liguo, a high-ranking officer in the...
" coup denounced the entire movement as being disguised labor reform. In 1976, even Mao realized the severity of the rustication movement and decided to reexamine the issue. But in the meantime, over a million youth continued to be rusticated every year.
Rehabilitation
After Mao's death in 1976, many of the rusticated youth remained in the countryside, some of whom had married into their villages. In 1977, university entrance exams were reinstated, inspiring the majority of rusticated youth to attempt to return to the cities. In the winter of 1978 in YunnanYunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
, the youth implored the government to hear their plight in the form of strikes and petitions, which reinforced the pressing nature of the issue to party authorities. On March 8, 1980, 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...
, General Secretary
General Secretary
The office of general secretary is staffed by the chief officer of:*The General Secretariat for Macedonia and Thrace, a government agency for the Greek regions of Macedonia and Thrace...
of the Central Committee of the Communist Party
Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China is the highest authority within the Communist Party of China. Its approximately 350 members and alternates are selected once every five years by the National Party Congress....
, proposed ending rustication. On October 1 of the same year, the party essentially decided to end the movement and allow the youth to return to their families in the cities. In addition, under age and marriage restriction, one child per family of the rusticated youth were permitted to accompany their parents to their native cities.
In the late 1970s, the so-called scar literature
Scar literature
Scar literature or literature of the wounded is a genre of Chinese literature which emerged in the late 1970s, soon after the death of Mao Zedong, portraying the sufferings of cadres and intellectuals during the tragic experiences of the Cultural Revolution and the rule of the Gang of Four.The...
included many vivid and realistic descriptions their experiences, becoming the first public exploration of the cost of the Cultural Revolution.
Statistics
From 1962 to 1978, it is estimated that there were almost 18 million rusticated youth.Further reading
- Bernstein, Thomas P. (1977). Up to the Mountains and Down to the Villages: The Transfer of Youth from Urban to Rural China. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
- Yihong Pan. (2003). Tempered in the Revolutionary Furnace: China’s Youth in the Rustication Movement. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.