Lecture by Prof. Dr. Jin Guangyao (Fudan University): China in 1968: From The Red Guard Movement to the Sent Down Youth Movement

2016 is the 50th anniversary of the Cultural Revolution. In order to launch the Cultural Revolution, Mao Zedong mobilized the Red Guard (young students) to rebel against the class enemy, therefore the Red Guard played a vanguard role in the Cultural Revolution. In 1968, however, Mao ended the Red Guard movement and sent young students down to the countryside. This talk tries to discuss why Mao changed his attitude towards the Red Guard, how the Red Guard reacted to Mao’s policy, and what influence the Sent Down Youth movement had on the Red Guard generation.