Without Rejection, There can be No Rebirth Zhang Lushi 2001

 Veteran Maoist Resigns:
“Without Rejection, There Can Be No Rebirth”

My Declaration of Withdrawal from the Party
My name is Zhang Lushi, born in 1928 April to a common peasant family on Gaozhou
Peninsula, Shandong Province. At age 14, as a youth brigade leader, I joined the war to resist
Japanese aggression and in the midst of the Huihai campaign when I was 20, I joined the Chinese
Communist Party. It has been more than half a century now. In the eyes of today’s young generation, I also can be counted as an old revolutionary. After the Huihai campaign, I again participated in the Cross Yangzi River Campaign (Against KMT forces). At that time I was a corporal. In the Anti-US-Help-Korea War, I served in the 68th Army as a communication corporal, got wounded, transferred to western Henan Province a mountainous county to be Director of Post and Telephone Department and Party Secretary. I held that post for 20 years and retired as a technical category cadre. Several decades of life in revolution and war have allowed me to do a little work for the people and the Party. The Party and the people gave me more than a little honor. During the liberation war and the Korea War I have several times served with distinction and merit, received commendations and military medals which decorated my chest of my
uniform. Even now I treasure my uniform of war, often taking it out to reminisce with deep
emotion.

I say this not out of self-satisfaction or self-aggrandizement. I am thinking of my comrades in
arms, half of whom were sacrificed. Their lively faces still fresh in my eyes, getting stronger as
time passes. Erbi, Anxum, Yuedi and there was another one we called Older Brother, were all
lost to us forever in one minor action. The Huihai campaign was victorious, but our minor action
in it was very tragic and our sacrifice huge. During the Korea War, in the Battle of Flying Tiger
Mount, our unit became lost from division headquarters because of dense fog and headed for the
wrong direction and suffered over 50% loss. I was wounded in that battle. Compared to the
sacrificed comrades, I was much more fortunate. I have lived 50 some years longer than they.
Compared to them, I feel ashamed that I was not together with them. What good fortune it would
be to be with my life death comrades, to talk about our aspirations, our beliefs, our struggles.
What else do I have to be self-satisfied? I only regret that I contributed too little to the Party and
the people, unworthy of the sacrifice of my departed comrades. So why am I withdrawing from
the Party?

In the past, how did I come to join the Party? It is with deep heart-felt hurt and sorrow that I
write this tearful declaration. In life, not all are sunny and bright flowers, there are also darkness
and thorns. Our comrades in arms in the Korea War, there are some that are now of general rank.

There is even one Lieutenant Zhang who is now a Vice Chairman of the CPC Military
Commission. But they are they and I am I. I am still a tiny Department head. I also serve the
people. In the past several decades, I have not been in contact with them. What is the point?
Compared to my sacrificed dead comrades, I have more than 50 years of longer life.
My wife is already retired. My oldest son works in the municipal electricity department and my
second son the post and telephone department. My three daughters are all happily married and
joined the work force. I have grandchildren and enjoy a happy family life. So I should have
nothing that is not satisfied?

But today, despite the organizations’ repeated gentle and harsh warnings, despite advice from
friendly comrades, desperate entreaties from family members, I firmly decided to withdraw from
the Party. Why am I withdrawing from the Party? First I need to tell why I joined the Party.
During the Huihai campaign, the people of Shandong, women, old men, children, coming from
all directions, pushing small carts, carrying shoulder sticks, riding on trucks, all rushed to the
front, following the sound of cannons, delivering food, bullets, removing the wounded, like
picture of waves in a sea of a people’s war. Some common people fainted from hunger along the
road, yet they would not eat a single mouthful of food destined for the soldiers at the front. This
sight made me cry like a child. This was a picture of the people, the People’s Liberation Army
and the Party united as one. The Communist Party is the savior of the people. The people hold up
the Communist Party and the people’s own soldiers as they are our roots of life. The Communist
Party is planted deeply among the people. Such a people’s party would surely overthrow the
corrupt reactionary KMT. At that time, I decided to join the Communist Party. I swore that I would offer all I have to work for the independence of the Chinese people, their freedom and liberation. I swore that everyone must have food, clothes, without people oppressing other people, exploiting other people and to
the creation of a new society, I offered my entire life in struggle. I joined the Party just before I
was assigned a task of scouting at the front. Several of us joined in a group ceremony. The
pledge was simple: “I pledge to join the Chinese Communist Party voluntarily, to obey [the]
party organization, observe party regulations, to struggle for communism and never betray the
party.” I was extremely excited. From then on I, Zhang Lushi, born of Shandong, became a party
person.

Wherever the Party puts me, I shall be there. “I pledge to struggle for communism, never to
betray the Party” That is my life commitment. I have had my share of confusion. Since the Korea
War, I was transferred to local work. People like us who should have died nine times over,
participated with great enthusiasm to build socialist motherland with revolution and construction.
“Land Reform”, “Anti-Threes and Anti Fives”, Rectification and Anti-Right Campaign, The
Main Route, Great Leap Forward, People’s Communes, Three Red Banners, Four Cleansings
and Sino-Soviet Decade. There were so many movements and struggles. We sang loudly at the
top of our voices, fearlessly facing enemies with invincibility. Our socialist motherland moves
steadily toward prosperity and bright future. But in all this revolution, I was a natural force

revolutionizing other people’s lives, until the Cultural Revolution when I became a target of
revolution, criticized by revolutionary masses.One day, I put on my old military uniform with all my medals, and attended a criticism meeting.I declared: “In the past I had to risk death to fight for socialism. Many of my comrades died forsocialism. You tell me who is a capitalist roader, I will struggle with him until I die.” The Revolt Clique chair of the meeting smiled at me and said: “Comrade Zhang, you do not need to show your military medals. We are not criticizing your medals. Inside the Party are capitalist roaders who want to follow the capitalist road. That is factual. They want to revive the old society. When
the socialist revolution touches their head, they resist and oppose. They want to promote a
peaceful democratic new phase, oppress the masses, to promote bureaucratism to become lords.
The Communist Party is being subverted. Chairman Mao started the Great Proletariat Cultural
Revolution to oppose and prevent Revisionism and to avoid repeating the Soviet error of revival
of Capitalist revival. You have to have a correct attitude toward mass movements.” From that
day on, I was not criticized further. I went home to continue to study Mao’s theory of continuing
revolution through the dictatorship of the proletariat.

The Cultural Revolution ended 25 years ago. The doctrine of the dictatorship of the proletariat
has been smashed to bits.Our once great and glorious and correct Chinese Communist Party, by losing blood ties to thepeople and supervision by the people, has gone through a radical transformation. Now its
corruption is the world’s worst. Our nation is divided into two classes and the gap between the
classes is also the world’s worst. Is this because my joining the revolution and the Party is
merely an irony?Does not twenty-five years of lessons prove that the Cultural Revolution was correct and timely?Does it not prove that Chairman Mao’s demand for continuing revolution under the dictatorship
of the proletariat correct? Does this not prove that the Revolt Clique meeting Chair correct?
For the country, for the nation, for the people, for countless revolutionary martyrs we suffered
personally, became falsely accused, unfairly convicted, judged, sent to May 7 Reform School for
Cadres, what is the big deal? This only shows Chairman Mao’s true love and care for
revolutionary cadres.

Many good cadres were falsely accused and died. I saw with my own eyes during the Cultural
Revolution, some members of the Power Clique, because of personal problems, could not face
the mass movement, and diverted attention to split the masses into factions, to turn the masses
against the masses, leading to armed struggle, then put the blame on the Revolt Clique.
I now formally apologize to the Revolt Clique meeting chair. Because during the investigation, I
testified against him. It is a pity he is now no longer living, so I cannot directly say to him: “Your
judgment was correct.” For the country’s long term stability, for the fortune and welfare of the
people, for the great future of communism, our personal honor and shame is nothing. Now the
condition of our country is sad indeed.

[The] people’s communes and collective economy are thoroughly dismantled. Peasant/farmers
are all bankrupt. State-owned enterprises are also finished. Massive unemployment is the fate of
workers. The corruption of the Communist Party is frightening. On some levels, it is worse that
the corrupt KMT. Because of divisionism, workers and farmers suffered twice and condemned
twice. A fire is burning underground; society is pregnant with instability and tumult.
Even though my cultural level is not high, I only have an elementary school education. Although
I do not have high level theoretical understanding, I know that communism is the collective
ownership of the means of production, which mean common sharing of wealth. The road we are
traveling is pure capitalism.

Where is the root of all this? Is it not the result of Communist Party promoting Revisionism? If
we continue, is it not against my pledge [when I] joined the Party? My Party pledge echoes in
my ear, the condition that led to my joining the Party is still vivid in my eyes. Therefore, I cannot
remain passive; otherwise, for a hundred year I will face our past martyrs with shame. I have
been a Party member for more than 50 years. To negate myself, it is very painful. But without
this rejection, there can be no rebirth. I am not willing to betray my pledge in my twilight years.
Recently, my health is not good. The doctor says my kidney has problems. In the hospital, I
listened to Jiang Zemin’s speech of July 1:“Capitalists, being also workers, supportive of socialism with Chinese characteristics, are permitted to join the Party.” He also said that communism is an impractical fantasy. We do not need to delineate it. Marxist theory of surplus value needs to be deeply analyzed. The founders of Marxism could not possibly know about conditions after their death.bListening to Jiang’s speech, I spit blood. This clearly says that Jiang’s Revisionism is now an official doctrine. His speech has smashed all my fantasies. This Revisionist—in the past he only acted quietly. Now it is official. So let you beloved capitalists join the Party. Today, in my sick bed, while I can still write, I solemnly declare that:

1) On this date I resign my Old Cadre Secretary post, and withdraw from the Communist Party.
 

2) I still firmly believe in communism. Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong thought, and carry on a
lifelong struggle for the realization of communism in China.
 

3) Being old and sick and having not long to live, I call for, if after my death China should see
the reemergence of a true Mao Zedong continuing [the] revolution under the dictatorship of the
proletarian party organization, my readmission as a full member of such a Party organization.

 

#I have been not been rich but I am pure. I only have very little savings. I have RMB 30,000
intended to be my Party dues, in the event I am admitted to such a new Party organization. The
above declaration is effective July 1, 2001.
Signed Zhang Lushi