Radio Free Asia, Former Chinese Red Guard says sorry for death of teacher, 13 January 2014, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/52e0d70e6.html [accessed 23 October 2019]
This was an interview published by Radio Free Asia.
"I failed to protect leaders of the school, and this has been a source of lifelong pain and remorse," Song said.
Song was a Red Guard. Song Binbin, daughter of Song Renqiong (High-ranking Chinese Communist Party revolutionary), said she felt eternal remorse over the torturing and killing of Bian Zhongyun, her teacher.
"Please allow me to express my everlasting grief and apologies to ... Bian," Song said in the interview.
Many former Red Guards are now coming out to 'expose the horrors of the Red Guard Movement'. This has been a recent trend, where many former Red Guards, after years of reflection, have come out apologizing for their past actions.
So what was the motive behind Song's actions who was "Seen with her Red Guard armband soaked in blood?"
If we take a deeper look into her interview and her family background, we can infer that it was pressure from her family which had made her think that what she was doing was right.
He father, a high-ranking official of the Chinese Communist Party, had made her life centered around Mao. Of course, all her life, she was exposed to large paintings of Mao on her house wall and was required to memorize the Mao's sayings and principles. Her father however was a huge benefactor of Song's trust in Mao.
Children tend to follow their parents. They are biologically built to do so. Elementary Schoolers usually have the same political views as their parents. This is certainly the same scenario, except more extreme, as very likely, Song's Father dedicated his life to Mao. Song would follow her father's exact steps. She was raised to serve Mao and so when Mao encouraged violence she participated in violence.
