On this episode of China Uncensored,
better dead than -
Oh my gosh they’re so cute!!!!
Hi, welcome to China Uncensored,
I’m your host Chris Chappell.
Those who don’t learn from history
are doomed to repeat it.
I learned that from Back to the Future.
That’s why we do uncomfortable things in school,
like learn about the Trail of Tears,
read Uncle Tom’s Cabin,
or repeat third grade.
But I think something about that whole
learn from history thing got lost in China.
More than 200 “Red Army schools”
have sprouted up around China.
Ordinary schools get special funding
for transforming into these “Red Army schools.”
The money comes from “China’s ‘red nobility’
of revolution-era Communist commanders
and their families.”
Schools like this one
are taking patriotic education to its illogical extreme.
Who needs paved roads when you’ve got
the glorious spirit of Marxist-Leninist thought?
And in between spending the school day
singing patriotic songs and discussing Communist thought,
it’s always nice to get in a little kung fu training.
Primarily because these schools
don’t have central heating,
so it’s the best way to get warm.
And I’m sure they get around to studying science
at some point.
After they’re done marching in place!
Oh yeah, he’s having fun.
And I’m pretty sure this girl could kill me.
And wants to.
These red army schools are usually
“built in ‘old revolutionary areas,’
historical cradles of Communist uprisings
but still often among the country’s poorest areas.”
If I lived in a rich part of China,
I’d be a bit concerned about the spread of those
old Communist ideals.
Since those old communist ideals involved
killing rich people and taking their stuff.
So what revolutionary ideals
are these little red soldiers learning?
"To the communist cause!"
"Love the people!"
Yeah...communism is all about...loving...the people.
I guess these “red nobility” have such a rosy view of history,
they might have missed the bloodshed.
“Life has improved so much that children
can’t understand the hardship of those who built our country.”
Right, professor.
Like all of the adults in the school do.
I mean, you weren’t around back then either.
You may have been a child during the Cultural Revolution,
when schools were shut down
so kids could play with guns.
But those were Cultural Revolution Red Guards.
These kids are dressing up like the Red Army.
And what do they want to do when they grow up?
“I want to be a doctor in the future”
Well, that's actually pretty good.
“So that if other countries invade China,
I can rescue the dying and heal the wounded.”
Uh...Ok.
So why else are you in Red Army school?
"I want to know our past.”
I think there are a few things that little
Susie here
might not be learning about her past.
You see the Red Army was established in the 1920’s—
a guerilla Communist army dedicated to
overthrowing the government,
and stealing everyone’s stuff
so they could redistribute it as they saw fit.
Now obviously that didn’t sound too appealing
to a lot of people,
so the Red Army came up with a compromise—
kill anyone who disagrees.
After being nearly defeated by the forces
of the previous government of China,
the Red Army embarked on one of the most glorious
and proudly remembered moments
in the Chinese Regime’s history—
The Long March.
What a victory!
More than 80,000 people started,
and only 6,000 made it to the end,
with tens of thousands of soldiers dying
or deserting along the way.
Everyone looked so happy.
Finally, the CCP set up camp in Yan’an.
And boy did their Red Army get busy!
The CCP treated Yan’an as a revolutionary holy land,
a place where they cleansed people’s minds of terrible,
dangerous things—
like morality, independent thought, and human dignity.
You might call it brainwashing.
The CCP at the time called it purging human nature.
Ironically, when Little Susie said she wanted to
"rescue the dying and heal the wounded"
that was actually part of a slogan Mao used in Yan’an,
when he said that medical workers
should practice “revolutionary humanitarianism.”
Right.
Well, the Red Army’s “revolutionary humanitarianism”
included forced confessions,
self-criticism sessions,
and something called douzheng,
a term for a particular type of struggle.
And if a person resisted having his thoughts cleansed,
he would often be tortured,
or beheaded,
or hacked to death with axes.
The Red Army killed 10,000 people in Yan’an,
including many of its own soldiers.
So yeah, kids these days really don’t appreciate
what it was like to be in the Red Army back then.
But that’s probably not what Little Susie
is learning about the Red Army.
Because the CCP has a way of rewriting,
or shall we say “glorifying” history.
This China Central Television special called
“Ode to Yan’an” is a good example.
Look at these glorious soldiers on the Long March!
And here’s Chairman Mao giving a fellow revolutionary his coat!
I wish I could have been a revolutionary Red Army soldier back then!
Weird, though:
State-run media left out the parts
about torturing and brainwashing.
So, yes, kids should be educated
about the CCP’s Red Army.
But if history repeats itself,
it might be good if these kids were also taught
about the tragic parts of China’s history—
the way American kids are taught about
the killing of Native Americans and slavery.
Sadly, I don’t think dressing them up in cute Red Army uniforms
and teaching them to shout communist slogans
is achieving that.
So what do you think of China’s Red Army schools?
Leave your comments below.
And speaking of armies,
I just want to thank my 50-Cent Army
for supporting the show on Patreon!
Thanks for watching this episode of China Uncensored.
Once again I’m your host Chris Chappell,
see you next time.