Guangzhou and Beijing Medical College

When we arrived in Guangzhou we were complete strangers and could not speak the Cantonese dialect prevalent there. We encountered great difficulties in living, school transferring, etc. The priests and friends of the church helped us to find a house, settle down and enroll my brothers and sisters to different schools. With the help by Yu-ou (pseudonym) who later became my wife, I was admitted to
the Fourth Municipal High School, and became her classmate. In 1954 I was graduated from senior high, decided to study medicine and become a life-saving doctor like my father. I was admitted to Beijing Medical College (formerly Peking University School of Medicine). I understood that this was my last opportunity for exclusively professional studies and must work hard so as later to serve patients well. I was not interested in political activities and did not join the Communist Youth League or Communist Party. Therefore, I was commonly regarded as abackw-ard person "more professional than red" ("Red" here referred to loyalty to the Party, to join the Party organization and to be “a docile tool of Party”; "white" referred to its opposite. "Professional" referred to one’s professional efforts and achievements). This resulted in a degree of discrimination and social isolation. However, the policy of the Communist Party was "Even if you do not concern politics, politics does concern you.” In 1955 and 1956, Mao Zedong launched the liquidation of the "Hu Feng Anti- Party Clique" which led to the “eliminating counterrevolutionary campaign” (in 1950 the other campaign was called "suppressing counterrevolutionary"). The situation was increasingly tense and one
of our classmates was detained. Some schoolmates were called in for interrogation or criticized and denounced at a large class meeting. There were many Christian schoolmates who prayed together regularly, so were alleged to be a
“small clique”. Several were criticized and denounced at meetings and at least one was arrested. Zhou, my classmate since in Guangzhou Fourth Municipal High, was criticized and denounced several times at such a meeting. Party cadres told me several times that they were in possession of sufficient evidence indicating that Zhou was a counterrevolutionary and urged me to expose his “crime”. I wa-s baffled, repeatedly stating that I had never perceived Zhou in any reactionary talk or deed. They were displeased and blamed me for not trusting the Party. However, after being criticized and denounced a couple of times, Zhou was not arrested as a "counterrevolutionary.” So their claim of being “in possession of s-ufficient evidences” was pure bluff and intimidation. Catholic schoolmates were few in number. We had individual contact with each other but no collective activity and no forming of a “small clique.” Anyway, I still was trembling with f-ear, worried that one day something wrong might happened to me. It was said tha-t some Catholic teachers or students were purged. Rectification, Anti-rightists Campaign and ‘Great Leap Forward’ In early 1957, Mao Zedong launched "Rectification of the Party's Work Style,” called on people to "help the Party in Rectification" and “open your heart to the Party,” to “air your views freely” and
“letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend.” The Secretary of the Party branch* at the large class meeting vowed that "We guarantee speaker of innocence," and "not bludgeon, not pulling pigtails, not buckle hat (labeling),” declared "Such a great Party, can the pledge not count?” Therefore, a campaign of "Airing views freely" spread like a wild fire.
---------------------------------------------------------
* The rule of the Communist regime consists of two parallel systems: the administrative system and the Party system. As usual, the administrative system has persons in charge of units at all levels. But there is also the parallel Party organization: Party branch, general Party branch, and Party committee, with corresponding secretaries. The secretary of Party organizations at every level is always
higher than the head of corresponding administrative unit. The head of administrative unit may not be a Party member, for example, may be a successful professional person, but he has no real authority, and is always just like a vase and flower for decoration. However, the deputy must be a Party member who has real powe-r. Even if the administrative unit head is a Party member, it is the party or ganization secretary who can decide if the head stays or leaves. In addition, Party members of one or more units (e.g. Departments) together form a Party branch, and the whole unit (or units) staff (including non- Party members) is under the leadership of the Party branch. In this way the Party controls the administrative system.
---------------------------------------------------------
I was not interested in politics, nor could I make any comment or criticism to the Party, so I used every way to evade meetings. Whenever there was an opportunity I would run to the Beijing Library. At that time our clinical courses of third and fourth grade were studied in the urban district of the Medical College which was close to Beijing Library. Beijing Library was located on the west side of
Beihai (North Sea) Park, where the environment was quiet and beautiful. I borrowed books and went out near Beihai to read, no class cadres might come there and call me back for a meeting. "Airing views freely" lasted only a few dozen days, and then the situation changed drastically. "Wen Wei Po (Wenhui Bao)" published an editorial full of fight: "What is that for?" (Later known that Mao personally organized and penned it)", declaring to “counteract the attacks from the rightists,” saying that calling for "airing views freely" was "to decoy the snake out of its lair,” and "it’s not a covert conspiracy but an overt conspira y.".......The Anti-rightist Campaign came on overwhelmingly.  medical journal, 1963.