The Ruijin Massacre (

simplified Chinese Simplification, Simplify, or Simplified may refer to: Mathematics Simplification is the process of replacing a mathematical expression by an equivalent one, that is simpler (usually shorter), for example * Simplification of algebraic expressions, ...

: 瑞金大屠杀;

traditional Chinese A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

: 瑞金大屠殺) was a series of massacres that took place in

Ruijin Ruijin () is a county-level city of Ganzhou in the mountains bordering Fujian Province in the south-eastern part of Jiangxi Province. Formerly a county, Ruijin became a county-level city on May 18, 1994. It was an early center of Chinese commun ...

and nearby counties in

Jiangxi Province Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north into hi ...

during the

Chinese Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...

. From September 23 to early October, 1968, over 1,000 people were killed in the Ruijin Massacre; specifically, over 300 people were killed in Ruijin County, around 270 were killed in

Xingguo County Xingguo County () is a County (People's Republic of China), county in south central Jiangxi province, People's Republic of China. It is under the administration of and located in the north of the prefecture-level city of Ganzhou, with a total area ...

, and over 500 in

Yudu County Yudu County (, ) is a county under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Ganzhou, located in the south of Jiangxi province, China. It is located in the east of Ganzhou City. It is adjacent to Ruijin City to the east, Huichang County ...

Historical background

was the capital of the short-lived state

Chinese Soviet Republic The Chinese Soviet Republic (CSR) was an East Asian proto-state in China, proclaimed on 7 November 1931 by Chinese communist leaders Mao Zedong and Zhu De in the early stages of the Chinese Civil War. The discontiguous territories of the CSR ...

from 1931 to 1934, the year the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victoriou ...

(CCP) fled the city and started the famous

Long March The Long March (, lit. ''Long Expedition'') was a military retreat undertaken by the Chinese Red Army, Red Army of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, to evade the pursuit of the National Revolut ...

. In May 1966, Mao Zedong launched the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...

mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...

. The Ruijin Massacre took place during the nationwide campaign of "

Cleansing the Class Ranks Cleansing the Class Ranks (Chinese: 清理阶级队伍), or Cleansing of Class Ranks Campaigns, was a political mass movement during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. The primary purpose of the Cleansing movement was to eliminate "class enemies who ...

". In August 1968,

Cheng Shiqing Cheng Shiqing () (April 1918 – April 29, 2008) was a People's Liberation Army major general and People's Republic of China politician. He was born in Xin County, Henan Province. He was Chinese Communist Party Committee Secretary and governor o ...

, then provincial secretary of the CCP and governor of Jiangxi Province, launched the "Three Investigations Movement (三查运动/三查運動)" throughout the province, attempting to find out traitors, spies and

counter-revolutionaries A counter-revolutionary or an anti-revolutionary is anyone who opposes or resists a revolution, particularly one who acts after a revolution in order to try to overturn it or reverse its course, in full or in part. The adjective "counter-revoluti ...

. The movement caused the deaths of over 10,000 people in total, including 5,000 who were forced to commit suicide. On September 22, 1968, officials from local

people's communes The people's commune () was the highest of three administrative levels in rural areas of the People's Republic of China during the period from 1958 to 1983, until they were replaced by townships. Communes, the largest collective units, were divi ...

were called to a meeting in

, during which the importance of carrying out the "Three Investigations Movement" was emphasized. The meeting also stressed the need of making some "achievements" to celebrate the upcoming National Day of the China on October 1. After the meeting, officials in local communes and production brigades began to kill people at will, without the requirement of launching investigations, collecting evidence, or receiving approvals.

The massacre

The Ruijin massacres were conducted by

and production brigades in Ruijin, together with local

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

, targeting members of the

Five Black Categories The "Five Black Categories" () referred to the following five political identities. These groups were: * Landlords () * Rich farmers () * Counter-revolutionaries () * Bad influencers bad elements"() * Right-wingers () During the period of the ...

as well as their relatives. From September 23 to early October, 1968, over 1,000 people were killed: over 300 people were killed in Ruijin County, around 270 were killed in

, and over 500 in

. The oldest victim was 80 years old, while the youngest was 11. The methods of slaughter included shooting with guns, stoning, beating with clubs, stabbing with knives, pushing over

cliffs In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...

, and so on. From late September to early October 1968, the situation had grown out of control, forcing the local revolutionary committees to take multiple interventions which gradually ended the massacre.

References

{{Cultural Revolution Mass murder in 1968 Massacres in 1968 September 1968 events in Asia October 1968 events in Asia Cultural Revolution Massacres in China Man-made disasters in China Massacres committed by the People's Republic of China

Historical background

The massacre

See also

References