Zhang Zhixin (; 5 December 1930 – 4 April 1975) was a

dissident A dissident is a person who actively challenges an established Political system, political or Organized religion, religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution. In a religious context, the word has been used since the 18th century, and ...

during 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 ...

who became famous for criticizing the idolization of

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

and the

ultra-left The term ultra-leftism, when used among Marxist groups, is a pejorative for certain types of positions on the Far-left politics, far-left that are extreme or uncompromising. Another definition historically refers to a particular current of Marxi ...

. She was imprisoned for six years (1969 to 1975) and tortured, then executed, for having opposing views while being a member of 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 ...

.Ladany, László. ''The Communist Party of China and Marxism, 1921-1985: A Self Portrait.'' 1988: Stanford University, Hoover Institution Press. () A second party member who had expressed agreement with Zhang was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Although many consider her a

heroine A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''hero' ...

among the people for standing up to the party,Zheng, Yi. '' Scarlet Memorial: Tales Of Cannibalism In Modern China.'' 1997: Westview Press. () her experience is also a reminder of the potential punishment for deviating from party principles. She did not consider herself anti-communist, but rather a "true Marxist" for whom Mao had distorted the communist cause. Even in prison, she insisted she was a member of the Chinese Communist Party. Many of her points of view were similar to those of the Communist leaders who succeeded Mao. For this reason, she was rehabilitated by

Hu Yaobang Hu Yaobang (; 20 November 1915 – 15 April 1989) was a high-ranking official of the People's Republic of China. He held the top office of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1981 to 1987, first as Chairman from 1981 to 1982, then as Genera ...

and recognized as a revolutionary

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

, a model communist.

Early life

Zhang Zhixin was born in

Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...

in 1930. She was educated at

Renmin University of China The Renmin University of China (RUC; ) is a national key public research university in Beijing, China. The university is affiliated to the Ministry of Education, and co-funded by the Ministry and the Beijing Municipal People's Government. RUC ...

from 1951 to 1952 and later worked in the university. Zhang later became a member of the Communist Party Propaganda Department at

Liaoning province Liaoning () is a coastal provinces of China, province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and i ...

. :Zhang expressed her view: :

Imprisonment and torture

In 1969, Zhang was imprisoned in by the Liaoning Provincial Party Committee her critical comments toward Mao. She saved up 2 yuan a month to purchase books to read in the facility, where she wrote her study notes on

toilet paper Toilet paper (sometimes called toilet tissue or bathroom tissue) is a tissue paper product primarily used to clean the anus and surrounding anal region of feces after defecation, and to clean the perineal area and external genitalia of u ...

. The prison guards then took her pen away. She proclaimed that the party would be "punished by history; if not sooner, then later". For a year and a half she was frequently shackled in leg irons and tied in a harness. The party forced her to sign divorce papers. Confined in an all-male prison, she was raped and tortured. Other male prisoners were told they could reduce their sentences if they were willing to torture Zhang. In a prison political-education meeting called to criticize Lin Biao, she shouted that Mao should be responsible for what Lin did. A party secretary from

Liaoning Province Liaoning () is a coastal provinces of China, province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and i ...

urged that she be executed quickly. During the

, most legal procedures were abolished: without judges or trials, cases were decided by various levels of the Revolutionary Committees and Communist Party committees.

Death and posthumous rehabilitation

Zhang was paraded and executed on 4 April 1975, close to the end of the Cultural Revolution. It is reported that her larynx was slit before the execution, in order to prevent her from speaking. On October 16, 1978, the Intermediate People's Court of

Yingkou Yingkou () is a coastal prefecture-level city of central southern Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, on the northeastern shore of Liaodong Bay. It is the third-smallest city in Liaoning with a total area of , and the ninth most populo ...

City,

, revoked the original judgment and acquitted Zhang Zhixin. Four years after her execution, in the spring of 1979 she was officially proclaimed a 'martyr'; 4 April 1979 was designated the day of her memorial. Although an investigation was begun into her case, however party leader

had it stopped.

Memorial

In People's Park in central

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

, a statue named ''Mengshi'' (The Brave) has been raised to commemorate Zhang Zhixin. The statue depicts a nude female warrior shooting an arrow on horseback, and the inscription on its pedestal reads "dedicated to people who struggle for truth".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Zhixin 1930 births 1975 deaths Renmin University of China alumni Chinese dissidents Chinese torture victims People executed by China by firearm People persecuted to death during the Cultural Revolution Prisoners and detainees of China Executed People's Republic of China people Executed people from Tianjin 20th-century executions by China Executed Chinese women

Early life

Imprisonment and torture

Death and posthumous rehabilitation

Memorial

See also

References