Shanghai Goes Red

Shanghai Goes Red

By Erick Yax-Vidal

The Shanghai Times

January 10,1967

SHANGHAI- Last week Zhang Chuqian a member of the “Gang Of Four” took the position of mayor and power in Shanghai after accepting the demands of workers who hijacked a train last week. They had given the demands to the now former mayor but he did not agree to them.

It all started exactly seven days ago when 2,500 Workers Headquarters members joined together at the Shanghai railway staion and took over a train bound for Beijing. The train was ordered to stop at a Anting station approximately 20 miles north of Shanghai. Leaders from Shanghai sent workers family members to tell the workers to stop, instead of the family members stopping them they were won over and joined the movement.

Three days later Zhang met the workers and held a nine hour meeting in which he agreed to the demands telling them that they had support from Chairman Mao and other leaders in Beijing and convinced them to go back to Shanghai. There he held a televised meeting for thousands to watch where he formally signed their demands.

Knowing that Mao had not agreed with the demands a furious Chen Pixian said “Zhang Chuqian signs and catches us all with our pants down!” He wasn't wrong in saying this, Zhang had gotten them off guard. You could see the furiosity in his eyes when he said it.

Current mayor Zhang Chuqian said "I did what I thought necessary for the revolution And I am Proud to say that the workers are back doing what they should be, working!

Zhang Had No Right!

Zhang Had No Right!

By Erick Yax-Vidal

January 12, 1967

Zhang Chuqian signed a list of demands last week given from 2,500 Workers Headquarters workers. They had taken control of a train bound for Beijing. Shanghai party leaders told the workers to stop in Anting, about twenty miles north of Shanghai and so they did. Due to their demands of getting payed more not being met they stayed in the train for three days! On the third day, Zhang went to the Anting station and met with the workers for nine hours, in the end he had agreed to their demands and the next day officially signed approval of their demands live on television. Most importantly he had no approval from Chairman Mao. He had no authority to sign the demands. Mao is the one and only leader.

Due to Zhang having signed the demands, the people of China do not know who they should follow as a leader. They are forced to believe that  there are two leaders, Mao and Zhang, when there is only one Mao. Another thing is that people saw how affective it was to just take a train and make demands. Now people will think that if they do just that they will get what they want. This would not have been true if Zhang had not signed the demands.

Some people might argue that if Mao is the only leader to make important decisions then the country will be inefficient. They might say that it’s important because there has to be multiple leaders distributed throughout the country, due to it being so big. Having multiple leaders does not matter as long as Mao gives his approval, unfortunately he did not give to Zhang.

Zhang Chuqian signed the workers demands without Mao’s approval, after the rebel workers took over a train in protest to their demands of wanting to be paid more were not made. Zhang had no right and should have never signed the demands without Mao approval.

China during the Cultural Revolution

Erick Yax-Vidal

Green Class

2/6/2012

 http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/asia/china/map_of_china.jpg

Map of China During the Cultural Revolution To The Present Day 1967-2012

 A map of china during the cultural revolution is the same as it is today. China is bordered by fourteen countries, Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Laos, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Tajikistan, North Korea, and Bhutan. The Himalayas serve as a border between China, Nepal and India.The Heilongjiang or Black Dragon River runs along the Northeast marking China’s border with Russia. Present day China is different then China during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). During the Qing Dynasty the country was smaller and had different borders. Mongolia was part of China as well. Beijing the capital, stayed the same.

Jiang Qing: The Most Influential Woman in China

Erick Yax-Vidal

Green Class

2/5/2012

Jiang Qing: The Most Influential Woman in China

Q. How did it feel like being married to Mao Zedong?

A. To be honest it was a plain marriage, I lived with Mao in what i thought of normal that is, until the start of the revolution. Once the revolution started I was out and about. I was giving speeches to little kids one day and the next day I was watching thousands die of starvation. The weird thing was that I didn’t mind it. But I still did as my husband told me, such as supporting him with everything he did.

Q.How did it feel to be the most influential woman in China?

A. I felt on top of the world, it was great. Anything I said went. Such as If i wanted a bird I got a bird. There was only one person stronger then me and that was my husband. I loved being a huge influence for all of the youth.

Q.Did you ever believe that you would be at such a high position of power?

A. Honestly? No, as a child my dream was to become an actress. I wanted to be a star, someone who was admired by hundreds. The one thing I certainly didn't want to be was a servant. I saw how my mother struggled all those years I promised myself that i would never become a servant.

Q.Do you think you would be happier with your first love Yu Qiwei?

A. Happier? No, but I did love him at the time. I was living with him for a while and we even joined the Chinese Communist Party together. If we hadn't been separated i would have never met Mao and would have never had they life that had.

Q. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me. Do you still believe you were wrongly prosecuted?

A. Yes, I did not do any of the things they charged me with. I am innocent!....

Hybrid Rice: A Cure to Food Crises

Erick Yax-Vidal

Green Class

2/3/2012

Hybrid Rice: A Cure to Food Crises

 

 

Hybrid rice was invented in China during the Cultural Revolution. Hybrid rice is a type of rice made by crossbreeding different types of rice. Hybrid rice usually produces 30 percent more rice than normal rice. Hybrid rice is very important to the world because since it produces 30 percent more rice it helps combating world food crises. Such as the ones in countries with extreme  poverty such as Ethiopia which has huge food crises.

            In 1964, Yuan Long ping first put forward the idea of utilizing the heterosis in rice and started the research on hybrid rice in China. This idea soon became reality in 1974 when Chinese stores started selling the hybrid rice with strong heterosis which means it produces more than normal rice. Hybrid Rice was first used outside of China in 1994 in the Philippines. There they developed further technology for creating hybrid rice. Yuan won the 2004 Wolf Prize in agriculture for his work.

            Hybrid rice has not only changed peoples lives it has changed the world. Across the globe it has helped people in poverty and with food crises. In countries such as India the population of people suffering of starvation has gone down because of hybrid rice. Not only has it helped with food crises it has also helped with the economy in some countries. In some countries it has created rural employment opportunities and increased farmers’ incomes. Hybrid rice seed production requires about 30 percent more labour than the seed production

of improved varieties. Because of its yield advantages, hybrid rice technology is very important for the food security of rice consuming countries where farming land is becoming scarce, population is steadily increasing and labour is cheap. If it was not for the invention of hybrid rice so many people around the globe would still today be in food crises and poverty.