Analysis Of Son Of The Revolution By Liang Heng

Son of the Revolution is an autobiography written by Liang Heng, which recounts his personal experience during the Chinese cultural revolution. During this time, Mao Zedong reclaimed his position to power in China; his goal was to preserve the original ideals of the communist party. In hopes of ending all ideals of capitalism, Mao created the Red Guards, a class struggle, and “re-education” programs. These aspects come together and are shown throughout Liang’s which show the effects of Mao’s political campaigns within China. One of the first chapters tells about the troubles that followed once Liang’s mother was labeled a “Rightist” and had to face backlash. This one label caused his mother to be sent away to a re-education camp and his parents to divorce. Before the Hundred Flowers campaign, Liang and his family were expected to live a nice life in the upcoming communist system because of their careers. One of the first memories in Liang’s life shows how this campaign targeted anyone who could be a potential threat to Mao and his goal and how this effected families. Liang’s father was very loyal to Mao and believed in the communist ideals even when they were forced to move from their comfortable homes to …show more content…
Liang and his family were not the only ones who faced relocation, embarrassment, and re-education. Millions of families were uprooted to move to the country to become peasants. These same families faced the same re-education programs that tried to eradicate all capitalist ideas and re-teach the “true” communism ideals. This relocation policy along with the Red Guards left China in a troubled state when Mao died. This autobiography vividly shows the corrupt state that China was left in. Most importantly, it is clear what challenges Deng Xiao-ping faces as he sets out to reform the political systems of