55 Years of Tenacious Remembrance: Mourning for Wang Jingyao

 

Wang Jingyao

 

Author:  Wang Youqin / Translated by: Menze Zhu

 

In the early morning of August 29, 2021, Wang Jingyao, the husband of the late Bian Zhongying, passed away. He was precisely 100 years old in March. I received six online obituaries in a row. I was saddened to hear the obituaries. 

55 years ago, on August 5, Bian Zhongying, the Beijing Normal University's Girls' High School principal, was beaten to death on campus by Red Guards.  For 55 years, her husband, Wang Jingyao, has continued to honor her memory and to fight for justice for her. Fifty-five years ago, I was a high school student and witnessed part of the abuse and killing. I have been writing about the history of persecution of the Cultural Revolution.

 I have been in contact with Mr. Wang Jingyao for 28 years. Unfortunately, this effort has not been so successful. Still, from another angle, many people today are concerned about the death of Wang Jingyao because they remember the murder of Principal Bian Zhongying, the victim of the attack. The Red Guard atrocities have become an essential part of the history of the cultural revolution in writing and cannot be dredged up or denied.

As far back as 1967, I heard from a classmate at the middle School that Principal Bian Zhongying's husband was investigating the death of Bian Zhongying. He collected materials and knew many of the names of the girls' secondary School. At that time, there were still long big-character posters of Bian Zhongying and other former school leaders in the School, a compilation and summary of the previously posted posters, then called "combing the braids", about their "anti-Party, anti-socialist, and anti-Mule Zedong Thought" crimes. "These materials were also inscribed on wax paper and printed by oil ink using engrave-on-wax printing.  Wang Jingyao collected and kept them. In retrospect, when students talked about what Mr. Wang had done in casual conversation, they did not think that his wife had been killed in the School. Shouldn't he come to the School and do a serious investigation? It is sad and shameful that a generation of people has accepted the idea and practice of persecuting and maiming people in the name of revolution.

In August 1993, I first met Principal Hu Zhitao through his child, who had also been beaten with Principal Bian Zhongying on August 5, 1966. Principal Hu told me how to contact Wang Jingyao. During my conversation with Principal Hu, I learned that the Red Guards of the Second Affiliated Middle School of Beijing Normal University (there are three affiliated middle schools of Beijing Normal University) had killed three people on the school campus on August 25, 1966: Jiang Peiliang, who was in charge of the School, Jin Zhengyu, a Chinese language art teacher, and Fan Shiman, the mother of a student, Cao Binhai. At that time, I had learned what the Red Guards proudly referred to as the "Red Months" of the cultural revolution, but apparently, there were many more facts that I had not learned. Twenty days later, the violence had spread and escalated to a much larger scale. Officials had internal statistics that 1,772 people had been killed in Beijing. Many Beijing residents believe that the number of death is higher. This massacre was brutality and horror unprecedented in the 3,000-year history of the city of Beijing.

Here I would like to pay tribute to President Hu Zhitao, who never forgets history and helped me contact Wang Jingyao. I met with Mr. Wang Jingyao for the first time a few days later. After reading my paper written in 1986 on the death of Principal Bian Zhongying, he said that in 27 years, I was the first formal student of the High School to meet him. He gave me the 16 double-page, four-sided materials issued after the memorial service for Principal Bian in 1978. The first page is a photograph of Principal Bian, and the two opposite pages in the middle are his curriculum vitae and "conclusion". On the last page is a letter describing the death of Principal Bian at the School. Mr. Wang received this letter in August 1966. The letter was not signed by the person who wrote it, and the handwriting was weird. Later, I found out that the person who wrote the letter was Zhang Jingfen, a Chinese language teacher at the First Girls' High School. I had met her at School, a dignified and quiet middle-aged female teacher. During that horrible time, she risked her life using her left hand to write an anonymous letter and sent it to Principal Bian's family. For ten years, Mr. Wang Jingyao kept this letter in a hidden place. I want to pay tribute to Ms. Zhang Jingfen.

I learned that Mr. Wang went to the Xidan Mall immediately after Principal Bian was killed and bought a camera.  He photographed the bruised and battered body of Principal Bian Zhongcai. He took the clothes of Principal Bian and the cotton balls and gauze used to wipe her bruises.  She was beaten with the legs of an old chair with iron nails.  The watch on her hand, which had a metallic band had been torn apart. In 2006, Hu Jie from Nanjing went to Beijing and photographed Wang and the suitcase in his documentary "Although I Am Dead". The title of this documentary about Bian Zhongying comes from a poem in the Russian novel "Doctor Zhivago". After seeing the film "Although I Am Dead" on CD-ROM in Beijing, an editor told me that she cried over it.

After my interview with Mr. Wang Jingyao, I went to the Secondary School (which has since been renamed the Beijing Normal University Experimental Secondary School).  The School did not allow me to read the archives. Mr. Wang brought out various materials he had collected, including mimeographed chronicles, selected newspaper articles, and his petitions to the court after the cultural revolution.  He gave them to me to make copies. I went to a copy store on the street to make copies. Wang Jingyao was concerned that the people in the copy store would pay extra attention to the content of these materials. It was clear that although many years had passed since the cultural revolution, the oppression of the revolution was still present.

After the cultural revolution, the authorities tried to compensate the families of the victims.  The High School gave the families of the victims 420 yuan, including 180 yuan for pension and 240 yuan for funeral expenses, in accordance with the standard of benefits given to workers who died before the cultural revolution. This was the standard for the family of a person who died on duty in service. Mr. Wang refused to accept the money and asked to use the ￥420 to make a memorial plaque at the School or to plant a row of trees in memory of Principal Bian, but was refused. Mr. Wang filed a lawsuit against the School for falsifying evidence against Principal Bian and a person beating her to death at a "joint meeting".  The Xicheng District Court said that the "retroactive period" had already passed. Is it possible to sue this kind of person during the decade of cultural revolution? How can there be a question of the "retroactive period" has expired? At the end of 1989, the Supreme Court wrote back that the principal's death of the Girl's Secondary School had been influenced by the brutal acts of the Red Guards of the Beijing University Affiliated High School. It is true that the Red Guards of the Beijing University Affiliated High School had started their brutality earlier, killing two peaceful residents in their School in August 1966. However, the letter from the Supreme People's Procuratorate did not pursue the Red Guards of the Beijing University High School either.

I wrote a chapter about the death of Principal Bian, which could only be published on my own suffragette webpage, which was quickly blocked. In 1994, I wrote "The Revolution of Beating Teachers", which could only be published in the journal of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.  The English version was printed in the Harvard University textbook, not in the Chinese School. In this 520,000-word book, there are 659 victims, and the longest one is about Principal Bian. He read the book carefully and made some very pertinent comments. Later, some people published a note online saying that Wang Jingyao said that there were 12 errors in my book about Bian Zhongying, but did not write down what they were. This was simply a random fabrication. I had been in contact with Mr. Wang for a long time. If there were mistakes, he would have told me a long time ago. From such fabricated rumors, one can see the bullying by those people who want to deny the Red Guard's violence.

When legal recourse fails, Wang Jingyao hopes to resort to history. In 2002, Li Shenzhi (1923-2003), a friend of Bian Zhongying and Wang Jingyao from their youth, directly criticized him, saying, "It has been 36 years since Bian Zhongying was killed, and you are doing nothing now for the sake of peace in your old age?" Wang Jingyao recorded the voice of Li Shenzhi's "rebuke" and played it not only for himself but also for a younger generation. As a result, one of them understood his anger and anguish, and he has been helping Mr. Wang to type.

Thirteen days after Bian Zhongsheng was killed, on August 18, 2011, Mao Zedong met with millions of Red Guards at Tiananmen Square. (There were a total of 8 such meetings, all of which were broadcast live to the whole country). Song Binbin, the Red Guards of the First Girls' High School leader, put on the Red Guard armband for Mao Zedong on the Tiananmen tower. After the August 18 conference, the brutal killings spread throughout Beijing and the country. The photographs of them and their conversations about the "peace" and "fight" were published in newspapers and magazines.

Forty-one years later, in 2007, the High School celebrated its 90th anniversary with the selection of 90 outstanding alumni. Song Binbin was one of them. A photo of her wearing a Red Guard armband on the Tiananmen is displayed on a high panel in the campus. The celebration was held at the People's Assembly Hall. Wang Jingyao wrote an open letter to the principal of the high school. After typing and re-reading it, Mr. Wang added that the Red Guard armband, which Song Binbin had dedicated to Mao Zedong, had the blood of Bian Zhongying on it. The late typist said at first he thought Bian Zhongying's tragic death itself was tragic enough without adding any more literature description, but he immediately realized that this old man's words had force and that the open letter needed such a factual statement. I agree with him.

Bian Zhongying was 50 years old when she was killed, and Wang Jingyao was 45. Now that he has passed away at the age of 100.  We wonder what kind of a life he had gone through.  He lived for 55 years after Principal Bian was killed. He has been tenaciously remembering Bian. He was an old man, and I think there should be special respect for an old man to do such a thing. At his age, honor, social status, and money are not as important as they used to be. His tenacious remembrance is purely for the sake of justice, for the sake of responsibility and the sake of future generations. He did not want to let such sinful and shameful things happened again.

I want to pay special tribute to Mr. Li Yun in this regard. Mr. Wang Jingyao married Ms. Li Yun, one year after the murder of principal Bian. Before she retired, she was an English teacher. She was kind and generous and took care of Mr. Wang Jingyao with all her heart and strength. In their home, one wall is decorated as a memorial wall for Bian Zhongying. Every time I went there, she was always kind and friendly to me. The first time I ate lunch at her house, she bought quail eggs for me, and I had never seen such small preserved eggs before, so I was very impressed. One time she gave me a packet of peanuts, saying that she and Mr. Wang's teeth were too weak to eat them. The peanuts were packed in an ordinary nylon silk bag.  The design printed on the top was very charming. In particular, she told me that it had been used as a gift by Wang's daughter (the daughter of Wang and Bian Zhongying) when she returned from a trip to a distance. I gave the peanuts to the students, but I kept this nylon bag to this day. I used it to contain some of my interview notes from that summer. I think that the warmth and kindness of Li Yun helped Mr. Wang, who was so cruelly beaten in his mind, to live to be 100 years old. The attack of the Red Guards destroyed the lives of countless victims and the morality of many people, making them cowardly, forgetful, and split in personality, and turning them into the type of human beings Lu Xun wrote about, "Ah Q". However, there are still people with virtues. Their moral light shines in our lives.

While I was writing this article, a friend and I were talking about this on the phone. She immediately calculated in her head. She said that Principal Bian was killed at the age of 50 in 1966, the first year of the cultural revolution, and Wang Jingyao lived 100 years old. Thus, she made two of them live for 150 years, 75 years each. Her arithmetic calculation reminded me that we could not influence anything, but we can pay tribute to Wang Jingyao, who added to the spiritual lives of the victims.

I would like to use this article to offer sacrifices for Mr. Wang Jingyao.

Wang Youqin.

September 6, 2021

 

 

55年的顽强纪念：悼受难者卞仲耘校长的丈夫王晶垚

王友琴

 

2021年8⽉29⽇凌晨，⽂⾰受难者卞仲耘的丈夫王晶垚⽼⼈去世了。他今年3⽉整整100岁。我⼀连收到了六个电⼦讣告。我很难过。55年前的8⽉5⽇，北京师范⼤学附属⼥⼦中学的卞仲耘校长，在校园中被红卫兵毒打⽽死亡。55年以来，她的丈夫王晶垚⼀直在纪念她，努⼒为她争取正义。55年前，我是那个中学的⼀名学⽣，⽬击了部分虐杀场⾯。我写作⽂⾰迫害历史，和王晶垚先⽣来往28年了。这种努⼒不是那么成功，但是从另⼀个⾓度看，今天很多来关⼼王晶垚⽼⼈的去世，是因为关注卞仲耘校长被害案件，说明⽂⾰受难者和红卫兵暴⾏已经成为写作中的⽂⾰历史的⼀个重要部分，不可能被挖取或者否认。

远在1967年，在中学校⾥我听同学说，卞仲耘校长的丈夫在调查卞仲耘之死。他收集材料，并且知道很多⼥附中学⽣的名字。那时候，学校⾥还贴着卞仲耘和别的前学校领导的长⼤字报，是对以前贴出的⼤字报的整理和汇总，当时称为“梳辫⼦”，内容是关于他们“反党反社会主义反⽑泽东思想”的“罪⾏”。这些材料还被刻写在蜡纸上油印出来，王晶垚先⽣收集保留了这些材料。现在回想起当年学⽣⽤闲聊的⽅式谈起王先⽣所作的事情，却不会想到他的妻⼦被打死在学校⾥，难道他不应该到学校来认真调查吗。⼀代⼈在⽂⾰过程中接受了迫害⼈残害⼈的观念和做法，实在令⼈感到痛⼼和可耻。

1993年8⽉，我先通过1966年8⽉5⽇和卞仲耘校长⼀起遭到毒打的胡志涛校长的孩⼦见到了胡校长。胡校长告诉了王晶垚先⽣的联络⽅式。在和胡校长的谈话中，我了解到，北京师范⼤学第⼆附属中学（北京师范⼤学共有三个附属中学）的红卫兵，在1966年8⽉25⽇，在校园⾥打死了三个⼈，学校负责⼈姜培良，语⽂教员靳正宇，⼀名学⽣曹滨海的母亲樊希曼。当时我已经了解了⼀些被红卫兵骄傲地称为“红⼋⽉”中的⾎腥事实，但是显然还有⼤量的事实没有了解到。卞仲耘校长是北京第⼀个被红卫兵暴⼒杀害的教育⼯作者。20天后，暴⼒已经蔓延和升级到了更⼤的规模。官⽅有内部的统计，北京有1772⼈被打死。很多北京市民认为不⽌此数。这是北京城三千年历史上从未有过的残忍和恐怖。这⾥我要向不忘历史的胡志涛校长致敬。

⼏天后我第⼀次见到了王晶垚先⽣。他看了我写的关于卞校长之死的⽂章（1986）以后说27年来，我是第⼀个来见他的当年师⼤⼥附中的学⽣。他给了我⽂⾰后1978年给卞校长开追悼会时印发的⼗六开双页四⾯的材料。第⼀⾯是卞校长的照⽚，中间对开的两⾯是卞校长的简历和“结论”。最后⼀⾯是⼀个信，讲述了卞校长在学校中被打死的经过。王先⽣在1966年8⽉收到了这个信。写信⼈既没有署名还改变了笔迹。后来知道了写信⼈是师⼤⼥附中的语⽂⽼师张静芬。我在学校见过她，⼀位端庄⽂静的中年⼥教师。在那个恐怖的时期，她冒着危险⽤左⼿写了匿名信寄给了卞校长的家⼈。⼗年⽂⾰，王晶垚先⽣⼀直藏好了这封信。我要向张静芬⽼师致敬。我了解到，在卞仲耘校长被打死后，王晶垚先⽣⽴即到西单商场买了⼀架照相机，她拍下了卞仲耘校长⾎迹斑斑遍布伤痕的⼫体。他把卞校长的⾎⾐和⽤来擦拭⾝上的伤⼜的棉球和纱布（因为她被⽤有铁钉的旧课桌椅腿殴打），还有她⼿上的⼿表，⼿表带是⾦属的，⾦属都被打得撕开了⼀个裂⼜。王晶垚先⽣把这些保存在⼀个⽪箱⾥。2006年，南京的胡杰去北京把王晶尧和他的⽪箱都摄进了他拍的纪录⽚《我虽死去》。这个关于卞仲耘的纪录⽚的⽚名来⾃俄国⼩说《⽇⽡⼽医⽣》中的诗句。我认识的⼀位⽼编辑在北京看了光碟电影后告诉我，她为此⼤哭了⼀场。

我在访问王晶垚先⽣之后去了⼥附中学校（⽂⾰后已经改名为北京师范⼤学附属实验中学），那⾥不愿查阅档案资料。王晶垚先⽣拿出了他收集的各种资料，有当年油印的⼤事记，⼤字报选编，⽂⾰后他写给法院的诉状等，交给我。我去街上复印店复印。王晶垚先⽣担⼼复印店⾥的⼈会注意这些材料的内容。我则明显地感觉到，虽然⽂⾰已经过去多年，⽂⾰的压迫还存在。⽂⾰后，当局给受难者平反，按照当时的普遍做法，按照⽂⾰前给⼯作⼈员死亡的补助标准，给受难者家⼈发420元钱，其中180块抚恤⾦，240块丧葬费。这是⽂⾰前在职⼯作⼈员去世，单位就按照这个标准发放给家⼈。王先⽣拒绝接受这个钱，他要求⽤这420元钱在学校做个纪念牌，或者种⼀排树，纪念卞校长，被拒绝。王先⽣向法院告了⼀个⽂⾰中伪造证据诬陷卞校长，在“⽃争会”上打了卞校长的⼈，西城区法院说此时已经过了“追溯期限”。难道在⼗年⽂⾰期间可以诉这种⼈吗？怎么会有过了“追溯期限”的问题呢？王先⽣请“⼈民代表”送材料到最⾼⼈民检察院。1989年底，最⾼法院回信说，师⼤⼥附中打死卞校长是受了北京⼤学附属中学红卫兵的暴⼒⾏为的影响。确实，北京⼤学附属中学红卫兵更早开始暴⼒⾏为，在1966年8⽉在他们校中打死了两名附近的和平居民。但最⾼⼈民检察院的回信也并不追究北⼤附中红卫兵的暴⾏。

我写出了关于卞校长之死的⽂章，只能发表在我⾃⼰的受难者⽹页上，⽽且⽹页很快就被封锁了。我在1994年写了《学⽣打⽼师的⾰命》，只能在⾹港中⽂⼤学的刊物上发表，英⽂版的是印在哈佛⼤学的⽂⾰课读本⾥的，⽽不是中国的学校。2004年我在⾹港出版了书《⽂⾰受难者》，第⼀个就送给了王先⽣。在这本52万字的书⾥有659名受难者，其中最长的⼀篇是关于卞校长的。他仔细看了书，做了⼀些很中肯的评论。后来有⼈在⽹上发表⽂章说，王晶垚说我关于卞仲耘的⽂章中有12个错误，却不写出是什么错误。这根本就是随意编造的，因为我和王先⽣⼀直联络来往。假使有错。他会早就告诉我了。从这类胡编乱造的谣⾔（还有别的），可以看到⼀些想要否认红卫兵暴⾏的⼈对⼀位⽼⼈的欺负。

诉诸法律失败，王晶垚先⽣希望诉诸历史。2002年，卞仲耘王晶垚夫妇青年时代的朋友李慎之(1923--2003)直接批评他说：卞仲耘已经被打死36年了，你现在什么都不做，就为了你晚年⽣活的平静？王晶垚先⽣把李慎之的“斥责”录了⾳，他不但重放给他⾃⼰听，还曾放给⼀个晚辈听。这个晚辈从中理解⽼⼀辈的愤懑和苦恼，他⼀直帮王先⽣打字。

在卞仲耘被打死13天后，8⽉18⽇，⽑泽东在天安门⼴场接见百万红卫兵。（这样的接见⼀共有⼋次，并都向全国实况转播。）师⼤⼥附中的红卫兵领导⼈宋彬彬在城楼上给⽑泽东戴上了红卫兵袖章。他们的照⽚和关于要⽂质“彬彬”和“要武“的对话发表在报纸和杂志上。8⽉18⽇⼤会后，暴⼒虐杀在北京和全国蔓延升级。41年后，2007年，师⼤⼥附中庆祝校庆90周年，选出了90名杰出校友。宋彬彬是其中之⼀。她给⽑泽东戴红卫兵袖章的照⽚放在⼀⼈⾼的展板上在校园⾥展览。庆祝⼤会在⼈民⼤会堂举⾏。王晶垚给这所中学的校长写了⼀个公开信。打字打好后复读，王先⽣加上了⼀句，宋彬彬献给⽑泽东的这个红卫兵袖章上，有卞仲耘的⾎。打字的晚辈说，他⼀开始觉得卞仲耘的惨死事实本⾝已经⾜够惨烈，不需要再加任何有“⽂学化”⾊彩的说法，可是他马上意识到，⽼⼈这句话有⼒量，这个公开信需要这样⼀句说透事实的话。我同意这个看法。

卞仲耘校长遇害的时候50岁，王晶垚45岁。现在他在⼀百岁时去世了，我们会想，他的⼀⽣是怎样的⼀⽣啊。在卞校长遇害之后，他活了55年。他⼀直在顽强地纪念卞校长。他是⼀个⽼⼈，对于⽼⼈做这样的事情，我认为应该特别尊敬。在他的年龄，荣誉，地位和⾦钱，都已经不像以前那么重要了。他的顽强的纪念，很纯正地是为了正义，为了责任。为了后代。他不要让⽂⾰这样罪恶和可耻的事情再次发⽣。

这⾥也特别想要向李云⽼师致敬。王晶垚先⽣在卞校长遇害⼋年之后，和李云⽼师结婚。她退休以前是英⽂⽼师。她善良，有⽓度，尽⼼尽⼒照料了王晶垚先⽣。在他们家，有⼀⾯墙布置成了卞仲耘纪念墙。我每次去，她都亲切友好地接待我。我第⼀次在她家吃午饭，她特地买了鹌鹑蛋做的松花蛋，我从来没有见过那么⼩的松花蛋，印象很深。有⼀次她送我⼀包花⽣，说她和王先⽣⽛齿不好吃不动。花⽣装在⼀个普通的尼龙绸袋⼦⾥，但是上⾯印的图案很别致。她特别告诉我，这是王先⽣的⼥⼉（王先⽣和卞仲耘的⼥⼉）到远⽅旅⾏回来装礼物⽤过的。我把花⽣给学⽣吃了，但是这个尼龙袋我⾄今保存着，装着我那个夏天的⼀些采访笔记。我想，李云⽼师的温情与和善，使得受到如此残酷打击的王先⽣活到了⼀百岁。⽂⾰摧毁了⽆数受难者的⽣命，也摧毁了很多⼈的道德，使⼈怯懦，健忘，⼈格分裂，变成鲁迅写的阿Q式的⼈物。但是，有美德的⼈还在。他们发出的道德之光，照耀我们的⽣活。

写作这篇⽂章的时候，我和⼀位朋友在电话上说起此事。她马上做了个⼼算。她说，卞校长在⽂⾰第⼀年1966年50岁的时候被打死，王晶垚先⽣活到了100岁。他使得他们⼆⼈活了150岁，每⼈75岁。她的算术提醒了我。我们影响不了什么，但是我们可以来向增添了受难者⽣命的王晶尧⽼⼈致敬。

谨以此⽂祭奠王晶垚先⽣。

王友琴。 写成于2021/9/6