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Song Binbin (宋彬彬), a symbol of the Red Guards who led violence such as beating teachers during China's Cultural Revolution (1966?76) and was even given a pseudonym by Mao Zedong, passed away on the 16th (local time) in New York, USA, after 77 years of life due to illness.
Song Binbin is famous for climbing the Tiananmen Gate Tower on August 18, 1966, early in the Cultural Revolution, and personally fastening the red armband symbolizing the Red Guards on Chairman Mao Zedong's (毛澤東) arm. She was the daughter of Song Renqiong (宋任窮), a senior Chinese revolutionary general (equivalent to a Korean-style general), and as a student at the affiliated girls' middle school of Beijing Normal University during the Cultural Revolution, she led violent protests.
Chairman Mao asked Song, "Is the 'Bin' in your name from 'Wenzhi Binbin (文質彬彬)', meaning harmony between appearance and substance, as in the Analects?" When Song replied "Yes," Mao said, "Isn't force necessary (要武)?" From then on, Song changed her name to 'Yao Wu (要武)'. Right after receiving the new name from Chairman Mao, Song incited students by saying, "It was a day I could never forget in my life," and "I received a name with great meaning, and Chairman Mao showed us the way. We need violence."
Afterwards, Song led nationwide armed struggles where students beat teachers and children reported their parents. Rumors circulated that Song personally beat to death 7 to 8 people, including Bian Zhongyun (卞仲耘), the vice principal of her alma mater.
Later, Song left for the United States under the pretext of studying abroad and only in 2014, when she herself had become elderly, apologized to her teachers in their 80s and 90s. She read a text titled "My Apology and Gratitude," about 1,500 characters long, saying, "I was the 'Song Binbin' known to friends and teachers for over 40 years and the symbol of Cultural Revolution violence, 'Song Yao Wu.' I have long hoped for an opportunity to meet face-to-face and repent."
However, the family of Vice Principal Bian rejected Song’s apology. They criticized the apologies of the Red Guards as hypocritical and stated they would not accept any apology until the truth of the incident was revealed. The family criticized that although 48 years have passed since Vice Principal Bian’s death, those who planned the incident and killed people still live freely without any legal sanctions. Indeed, Song Binbin earned a Ph.D. from Boston University, obtained U.S. citizenship, and worked as the owner and CTO of a British company. She was also selected as one of the 90 honorary alumni of Beijing Normal University’s affiliated school.
During the Cultural Revolution, a significant number of Chinese middle and high school students and university students were mobilized under the name of the Red Guards, a political mass movement organized by Mao Zedong. It is estimated that about one million people were killed or persecuted to death by them during that time.
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