Red Little Devil (Opening the Red Archives Sealed for Half a Century)

Author: Wang Yinan
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Little Red Guards—Unsealing the Red Archives Dust-Covered for Half a Century, Tracing the Battle Journey of 52 Individuals Who Started as Child Soldiers and Became Generals of the People's Republic. This book selects and narrates the stories of 52 Little Red Guards from thousands, all of whom are survivors. After the founding of the People's Republic, some continued to lead armies, while others became leaders of the Party and the state, achieving new feats for the people. Due to space constraints, it is impossible to narrate every surviving Little Red Guard. We can only append the names of those who were Little Red Guards according to the roster of military leaders promoted in 1955, as a token of regret. Joining the Red Army meant going to battle, and there was always the risk of losing one's life. So, why did these underage Little Red Guards join the Red Army? Why were they not afraid of sacrificing their lives and enduring hardship? Could they fight like the adult soldiers? What happened to them after they grew up? With these little-known yet awe-inspiring and moving questions in mind, the author unsealed the archives long for half a century, stepped onto the battlefield where the smoke had long dissipated, and sought out the surviving Little Red Guards themselves to authentically narrate their early motivations for joining the revolution, their youthful aspirations for light and the liberation of the people, their moving stories of enduring hardship and bloodshed without fear, and their later revolutionary journey of growing into battle heroes, people's heroes, and pillars of the new China. This book selects and narrates the stories of 52 Little Red Guards from thousands, all of whom are survivors. After the founding of the People's Republic, some continued to lead armies, while others became leaders of the Party and the state, achieving new feats for the people. Due to space constraints, it is impossible to narrate every surviving Little Red Guard. We can only append the names of those who were Little Red Guards according to the roster of military leaders promoted in 1955, as a token of regret. Joining the Red Army meant going to battle, and there was always the risk of losing one's life. So, why did these underage Little Red Guards join the Red Army? Why were they not afraid of sacrificing their lives and enduring hardship? Could they fight like the adult soldiers? What happened to them after they grew up? With these little-known yet awe-inspiring and moving questions in mind, the author unsealed the archives long for half a century, stepped onto the battlefield where the smoke had long dissipated, and sought out the surviving Little Red Guards themselves to authentically narrate their early motivations for joining the revolution, their youthful aspirations for light and the liberation of the people, their moving stories of enduring hardship and bloodshed without fear, and their later revolutionary journey of growing into battle heroes, people's heroes, and pillars of the new China.