编辑文：
Persecution of professionals

The cultural revolution has impacted all sectors of Chinese society, but the first one that suffered the most is the cultural people, professionals and intellectuals. The goal of the Communist Party is to "decapitate cultural life". One of Mao Zedong's outstanding slogans is: "the more knowledge, the more reactionary" in an invisible way makes his victims dehumanized, pushing a large number of intellectuals to unprecedented suffering abyss. Countless talents and scholars have been forced to risk trying to flee their country of love and dedication. At Shahe detention center, I met several senior intellectuals who fled to Hong Kong. An artist from Shanghai, in persecution and despair, heard that many people from Guangdong fled to Hong Kong. So he came to Guangzhou to find a way. After that, he spent all his money and still didn't know what to do, so he had to pay a low price of 20 cents for each one at the entrance of Huanghuagang park. He was detained and sent to a detention center as a part-time migrant without a business license.
The artist has not taken any action to escape. He was outraged by his detention and went on a hunger strike for "walking on the land of his motherland.". But does the Communist regime allow anyone to protest? They beat him hard, and then put him in prison where he continued to fast in Guangzhou. On the fourth day, he was going to die and was seriously infected. Persuaded by other detainees, he finally regained his diet and reluctantly resisted his grievances and anger.
Type F

原文：

Persecuting the Professionals

The Cultural Revolution scourged all levels of Chinese society but the first to bear the brunt and
suffer most were people of culture, the professionals and intellectuals. Communist authorities aimed "to
decapitate cultural life”. One of Mao's prominent slogans, "the more knowledge, the more reactionary"
dehumanized his victims in an invisible way, pushing a vast number of intellectuals into an
unprecedented abyss of misery. Countless talents and scholars were forced to rush into danger as they
attempted to flee the motherland to which they once gave their love and devotion. In Shahe Detention
Center, I met several senior intellectuals who were caught back from fleeing to Hong Kong.
An artist from Shanghai, being persecuted and in desperation, heard that many people from
Guangdong had fled to Hong Kong. So he came to Guangzhou in an attempt to find the way. After
exhausting all his money and still clueless, he was forced to support himself by sketching portraits at
the low price of 20 cents each at the entrance of Huanghuagang Park. He was detained and sent to the
detention center as an odd-job migrant without a business license.
This artist had not yet taken any action of fleeing. He was indignant for being detained just
because of "walking on the land of the motherland" and protested with a hunger strike. But did the
Communist regime allow anyone to protest? They gave him a brutal beating and then put him in the
Guangzhou cell where he continued the hunger strike. On the fourth day, he was dying and his wounds
were infected badly. Persuaded by fellow detainees, he finally resumed eating and reluctantly
swallowed his grievances and anger.
Feng Yixin, a technician at a well-known chemical plant in Nanjing, was a small and thin man
who didn't talk much and looked depressed. He was caught for fleeing to Hong Kong but his real name
was leaked accidentally by his peers. Nanjing was different from Guangzhou and he was worried about
being sent back. He also suspected me of a faked name but did not ask. Gradually we began to
converse.
I learned that he had worked in the technology department and specialized in breaking
commercial secrets of foreign commodities. Two years before he succeeded in breaking the secret of a
German product to increase its yield by 20 percent. But the Party branch secretary stole the technician’s
credit and made a pretext to suppress him. The Cultural Revolution starting, he became an active target.
Finally, he went to Guangzhou with a plan to flee to Hong Kong. He told me helplessly: "No way, if
you are not a Party member, you are always suppressed. Good things you have no share in, a difficult
job is always yours. Even so, you work hard in vain. At every annual appraisal you are criticized ‘more
professional than red.’ When the political campaign comes, your credit becomes guilt. We're not the
kind of material, will not curry favor with the Party, will not step on someone's shoulder to climb up." I
certainly agreed.
A few days later Feng's name was called abruptly. Just as he stepped out the door, he was "Ka"
handcuffed. It turned out that Nanjing had sent someone to escort him back. I was shocked and sad,
watching until he was out of sight.
Would I be escorted to Kunming the same way one day?
Dr. Shen of Radiology, XX Hospital of Zhongshan (Sun Yat-sen) Medical College, was
intercepted by a patrol boat during his fleeing to Hong Kong. He told me about the well-known
radiologist and oncologist Xie Zhiguang, who took the lead in establishing the Cancer Hospital of
Southern China and the Institute for Cancer Research. Assisted by overseas friends he imported a
cobalt 60 radiotherapy machine that was still rare in China at that time. In the Cultural Revolution Xie
was labeled "the reactionary academic authority” was denounced and treated brutally. Suffering from
liver cancer, he applied for medical treatment but had to obtain approval from Red Guard Headquarters.
Armed Red Guards escorted him to see a doctor. As Xie approached, the doctor stood up, read "Highest
Directives" and shouted "sweep all cow demons and snake spirits!” and then examined Xie. Xie died
not long after.
Dr. Shen also told me about Dr. Kuang Gongdao, a famous thoracic surgeon who returned from
Germany. (I had read Kuang’s several articles published in "Chinese Journal of Surgery"). He failed in
fleeing to Hong Kong three times, once hidden in a big vegetable basket in a Polish freighter, but still
was found by the inspector. In fact, he had been secretly monitored already.
Dr. Shen said that although was not a noted figure in his department he still was forced to flee.
Another fellow detainee was a doctor of the First People’s Hospital of Guangzhou whose name I
have forgotten. He told us that Dr. Chen, the head of Internal Medicine, committed suicide after being
denounced and beaten terribly. He left a note: "A scholar can be killed but not be disgraced.”
A chemical engineer went fleeing to Hong Kong on a small boat and was intercepted by the patrol
boat. He had been honored as a valued worker for inventing an efficient phosphorus-based detergent
and even was granted an interview by the Governor Chen Yu. In the Cultural Revolution this gifted
engineer was labeled a "reactionary academic authority" and his credit turned into shame.
Mr. Guo was an economic statistician who worked at a provincial organization. I asked him:
"What is the future of the current economic situation?" Guo made a wry smile: "When all the data are
given by the authority, what real results can you figure out? Even if the result is not good, can't you
revise it again an again until they are satisfied? It's forever 'the situation is good, and gets better and
better!’" (a popular propaganda phrase at that time).
Zhou Hong was a researcher at an institute in Shanghai and was squeezed out a few years earlier.
Having returned to Guangzhou for some time, he was relegated to work at a street service station
producing electrical parts for living. He was unworried about his fate after release. After all, the service
station was already at the bottom. There were so many people caught fleeing to Hong Kong, most
would be reprimanded only, and it was no big deal to be "under the mass surveillance" for a short time.
I envied his situation. If I could resign in Kunming and move my registered residence back to
Guangzhou, and get any work whatever at a service station, then I wouldn’t have to worry about being
sent back to Kunming. However, that was almost impossible. Even if I quit my job, it would be very
difficult to move my registered residence back to Guangzhou, because the administrative division level
of Kunming was lower than that of Guangzhou. Moving of registered residence was only permitted
from higher to lower level.
After I left the detention center, I visited Zhou Hong and saw several articles he had published in
domestic journals. More than ten years later, Zhou Hong emigrated to the United States. He soon
earned his doctorate and continued his academic research. How sad that a gifted scientist was forced to
produce his fruits not for the benefit of China but in another land.
I never expect to meet so many learned intellectuals in the Guangzhou cell. In fact, I could name
even more. We talked among ourselves: Being poor and underdeveloped, China had nothing to
export, but forced a lot of senior intellectuals to "export."
On the Verge of Collapse
The detention center provided just three liang of rice twice a day. Day after day on such meager
fare, I experienced a growing hunger and was becoming thinner and weaker. After two months I begin
to develop an oral ulcer. I knew very well it was caused by lack of vitamin B especially vitamin B2, but
what could I do?
I considered asking to see a doctor. The detention center had a medical office, but unless you had
a high fever and were unable to eat two meals, they would not allow you to see a doctor. After a few
days, I had a high fever and could not finish the meal. Fear seized me. Whether this was due to lack of
B2 or infection, it would be dangerous to go without treatment.
Finally I requested to see a doctor. After fellow detainees interceded for me, I got approved. The
doctor hastily diagnosed it as just a “cold”. I dared not reveal my identity as a medical professional, but
showed him my oral ulcer. The doctor gave me a knowing glance and seemed to suspect that I also was
a doctor. He certainly knew that detainees included persons of such occupation, so quietly prescribed
vitamin B2 and B complex for me.
The next day after medication, the fever receded gradually. I knew that if this disease developed a
secondary infection, because of delayed treatment or misdiagnosis, I could very likely lose my life.
After I left the detention center, my mother later said to me that, learning indirectly I was sick, she
really felt like her heart was stabbed!
The detention center did not give the detainees haircuts. This was no problem for detainees who
were caught and sent away shortly, but for those detained a long time, their hair grew until they looked
like wild men. Fortunately one newcomer was a barber who agreed to give a simple haircut in return
for a spoonful of rice. How sad! Just a spoonful of rice made his haircut so cheap that it probably broke
the world record! Although I was hungry enough to be nearly dizzy, after a little hesitation I still had a
haircut. At mealtime, the barber kindly took only a half spoonful of rice from me.
Now struggling on the verge of death every day, how long could I go on? Could I procrastinate
until I figured a way out? I felt completely hopeless and helpless and nearly collapsed. But my
reasoning told me that I couldn't let go! Once I was escorted back to Kunming, all would be lost. Pray
God to help me!