Our parents had ill-equipped us for this task. They had taught us to obey the Party and its representatives - our teachers and the other school authorities. It was the job of our teachers to teach us what was good and what was bad.
Like myself, almost every child I knew was a member of "Shaoxiandui" - the Young Pioneers - by the time they were ten years old. Young Pioneers wore the triangular red scarf that signified both a corner of the national flag the blood of the Revolutionary martyrs. We all raised our right hands under the red flag, making a solemn vow - to follow the Chinese Communist Party and to be a Communist Successor.
Along the way we sang the theme song of the Young Pioneers:
Are you ready?
We are always ready.
We are the Communist Children's Corps.
We will be masters of the future.
From childhood on, we were indoctrinated into what it means to be chosen as a Red Successor. Red Successors are protected by the Party, loyal to their parents, and loyal to the Party. The teachers told us that Communism was our life goal and our future. In order to be a Red Successor to Mao, "you must be a member of the Communist Party after you grow up," the teacher often told us. Joining the Young pioneers was the first step. Next was to join the Communist Youth League. Many parents tried to force their children to be members. They were afraid of what might happen if their children did not participate in the rituals of a good Communist childhood.
Chihua Wen
Author's Introduction
The Red Mirror: Children of China's Cultural Revolution
