hán xiù韩秀yòng用xiě zuò写作bǎo cún保存wén gé文革jì yì记忆
Han Xiuxiu, a Chinese-language writer with U.S. citizenship, recalls that before the Cultural Revolution began, she was sent to the countryside in Shanxi because she refused to cut ties with her American father.
Later, to escape harm, she went to Xinjiang.
There, she was often not given enough food or warm clothing, and she had only a few books with her.
The characters in novels gave her courage and led her to decide to become someone who could not be defeated.
She also secretly listened to foreign radio broadcasts, which she felt were a small light in the darkness.
Han Xiuxiu also remembers that when writer Lao She said goodbye, he told her only: “Eat enough and keep warm.”
During the Cultural Revolution, Lao She was subjected to public denunciation and persecution, and eventually passed away.
Han Xiuxiu’s grandmother’s home was searched eight times, and many books, calligraphy works, and paintings were burned for three days.
She believes that this disaster was not only the responsibility of a small number of people; it was also connected to the many people who, out of fear, joined in hurting others.
For decades, she has recorded these experiences through writing, hoping that young people will understand history, remember its lessons, and prevent the same tragedy from happening again.