My Declaration of Withdrawal from the Communist Party of China

By Zhang Lushi

My name is Zhang Lushi, born 1925 April to a common peasant family on Gaozhou Peninsula, Shandong Province.

At age 14, as a youth brigade leader, I joined the war to resist Japanese aggression and in the middle of the Huihai campaign when 1 was 20, I joined the Chinese Communist Party. It has been more than half a century now.

In the eyes of today's young generation, I also can be counted as an old revolutionary.

After the Huihai campaign, I again participated in the Cross Yangzi River Campaign (against KMT forces). At that time I was a corporal.

In the Anti-US-Help-Korea War, I served in the 65th Army as a communications corporal, got wounded and transferred to western Henan Province a mountainous county to be Director of Post and Telephone Department and Party Secretary. I held that post for 20 years and retired as a technical category cadre.

Several decades of life in revolution and war have allowed me to do a little work for the people and the Party. The Party and the people gave me more than a little honor. During the liberation war and the Korea War I several times served with distinction and merit, received commendations and military medals that decorated my chest of my uniform. Even now I treasure my uniform of war, often taking it out to reminisce with deep emotion.

I say this not out of self-satisfaction or self-aggrandizement.

Thinking of my comrades in arms, half of whom sacrificed themselves. Their lively faces are still fresh in my eyes, getting stronger as time passes. Erbi, Anxum, Yuedi and there was another one we called Older Brother, were all lost to us forever in one minor action. The Huihai campaign was victorious, but our minor action in it was very tragic and our sacrifice huge.

During the Korea War, in the Battle of Flying Tiger Mount, our unit became lost from division headquarters because of dense fog and headed in the wrong direction and suffered over 50% loss. I was wounded in that battle.

Compared to the sacrificed comrades, I was much more fortunate. I have lived 50 some years longer than them. Compared to them, I felt ashamed that I was not together with them. What good fortune it would be to be with my life death comrades, to talk about our aspirations, our beliefs, our struggles. What else do I have to be self-satisfied?

I only regret that I contributed too little to the Party and the people, unworthy of the sacrifice of my departed comrades.

So why am I withdrawing from the Party? In the past, how did I come to join the Party? It is with deep heartfelt hurt and sorrow that I write this tearful declaration. In life, not all are sunny and bright flowers; there are also darkness and thorns.

Among our comrades in arms in the Korea War, there are some that are now of general rank. There is ever one Lieutenant Zhang who is now a Vice Chairman of the CPC Military Commission. But they are they and I am I. I am still a tiny Department head. I also serve the people. In the past several decades, I have not been in contact with them. What is the point?

Compared to my sacrificed dead comrades, I have more than 50 years of longer life.

My wife is already retired. My oldest son works in the municipal electric department and my second son in the post and telephone department. My three daughters are all happily married and joined the work force. I have grand children and enjoy a happy family life. So I should have nothing that is not satisfied?

But today, despite the organizations' repeated gentle and harsh warnings, despite advice from friendly comrades, desperate entreaties from family members, I firmly decided to withdraw from the Party.

Why am I withdrawing from the Party? First I need to tell why I joined the Party.

During the Huihai campaign, the people of Shandong, women, old men, children, coming from all directions, pushing small carts, carrying shoulder sticks, riding on trucks, all rushed to the front, following the sound of cannons, delivering food, bullets, removing the wounded, like picture of waves in a sea of a people's war. Some common people fainted from hunger along the road, yet they would not eat a single mouthful of food destined for the soldiers at the front. This sight made me cry like a child. This was a picture of the people, the People's Liberation Army and the Party uniting as one. The Communist Party is the savior of the people. The people hold up the Communist Party and the people's own soldiers, as they are our roots of life. The Communist Party is planted deeply among the people. Such a people's party would surely overthrow the corrupt, reactionary KMT.

At that time, I decided to join the Communist Party. I swore that I would offer all I have to work for the independence of the Chinese people, their freedom and liberation. I swore that everyone must have food, clothes, without people oppressing other people, exploiting other people and to the creation of a new society. I offer my entire life struggle. I joined the Party just before I was assigned a task of scouting at the front.

Several of us joined in a group ceremony. The pledge was simple: "I pledge to join the Chinese Communist Party voluntarily, to obey party organization, observe party regulations, to struggle for communism and never betray the party."

I was extremely excited. From then on I, Zhang Lushi, born of Shandong, became a party person.

Wherever the Party puts me, I shall be there. "I pledge to struggle for communism, never to betray the Party." That is my life commitment.

I have had my share of confusion. Since the Korean War, I was transferred to local work. People like us who should have died nine times over, participated with great enthusiasm to build the socialist motherland with revolution and construction. "Land Reform", "Anti-Threes and Anti Fives", Rectification and Anti-Right Campaign, The Main Route, Great Leap Forward, People's Communes, Three Banners, Four Cleansings and Sino-Soviet Decade. So many movements and struggles. We sang loudly at the top of our voices, fearlessly facing enemies with invincibility. Our socialist motherland moves steadily toward prosperity and a bright future.

But in all this revolution, I was a natural force revolutionizing other people's lives, until the Cultural Revolution when I became a target of revolution, criticized by the revolutionary masses, accusing me of being a member of the capitalist roader power clique. I was confused. One day, I put on my old military uniform with all my medals, and attended a criticism meeting. I declared: "In the past I have risked death to fight for socialism. Many of my comrades died for socialism. You tell me who is a capitalist roader, I will struggle with him to the death!" The Revolt Clique chair of the meeting smiled at me and said: "Comrade Zhang, you do not need to show your military medals. We are not criticizing your medals. Inside the Party are capitalist roaders who want to follow the capitalist road. That is factual. They want to revive the old society. When the socialist revolution touches their head, they resist and oppose. They want to promote a peaceful, democratic, new phase, oppress the masses, to promote bureaucratism to become lords. The Communist Party is being subverted. Chairman Mao started the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution to oppose and prevent Revisionism and to avoid repeating the Soviet error of capitalist revival. You have to have a correct attitude toward mass movements."

From that day on, I was not criticized further. I went home to continue to study Mao's theory of continuing revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat. The Cultural Revolution ended 25 years ago. The doctrine of the dictatorship of the proletariat has been smashed to bits.

Our once great, glorious and correct Chinese Communist Party, by losing blood tie to the people and supervision by the people, has gone through radical transformation. Now corruption is the world's worst. Our nation's division into two classes is also the world's worst. Is this because my joining the revolution and the Party is merely an irony? Does not twenty-five years of lesson prove that the Cultural Revolution was correct and timely? Does it not prove Chairman Mao's demand for continuing revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat correct? Does this not prove the Revolt Clique meeting Chair correct?

For the country, for the nation, for the people, for countless revolutionary martyrs we suffered personally, became falsely accused, unfairly convicted, judged, sent to May 7 Reform School for Cadres, what is the big deal? This only shows Chairman Mao's true love and care for revolutionary cadres.

Many good cadres were falsely accused and died. I saw with my own eyes during the Cultural Revolution, some members of the Power Clique, because of personal problems could not face the mass movement, and diverted attention to split the masses into factions, to turn the masses against the masses, leading to armed struggle, and then put the blame on the Revolt Clique.

I now formally apologize to the Revolt Clique meeting chair. Because during the investigation, I testified against him. It is a pity he is now no longer living. So I cannot directly say to him: "Your judgment was correct." For the country's long term stability. For the fortune and welfare of the people, for the great future of communism, our personal honor and shame is nothing. Now the condition of our country is sad indeed.

People's communes and the collective economy are thoroughly dismantled. Peasant farmers are all bankrupt. State-owned enterprises are also finished. Massive unemployment is the fate of the workers. The corruption of the Communist Party is frightening. On some levels, it is worse than the corrupt KMT. Because of divisionism, workers and farmers suffered twice and condemned twice. A fire is burning underground; society is pregnant with instability and tumult.

Even though my cultural level is not high, only an elementary school education, with no high level theoretical understanding, but even I know that communism is the collective ownership of the means of production, which means common sharing of wealth. The road we are traveling is pure capitalism.

Where is the root of all this? Is it not the result of the Communist Party promoting Revisionism? If we continue, is it not against my pledge to join the Party? My Party pledge echoes in my ear, the condition that led to join still vivid in my eyes. This does not allow me to remain passive, otherwise, for a hundred year I cannot face with shame our past martyrs. I have been a Party member for more than 50 years. To negate myself, it is very painful. But without this rejection there can be no rebirth. I am not willing to betray my pledge in my twilight years.

Recently, my health is not good The doctor says my kidney has problems In the hospital, I listen to Jiang Zemin's speech of July 1: "Capitalists, being also workers, supportive of socialism with Chinese characteristics, are permitted to join the Party." He also said that communism is an impractical fantasy. We do not need to delineate it. Marxism value residuals need to be deeply analyzed. The founders of Marxism could not possibly know about conditions after their death.

Listening to Jiang's speech, I spit blood. This clearly says that Jiang's Revisionism is now official doctrine. This smashes all my fantasies.

This Revisionist, in the past only acted quietly. Now it is official. So let your beloved capitalists join the Party. Today, in my sick bed, while I can still write, I solemnly declare that:

1) On this date I resign my Old Cadre Secretary post, and withdraw from the Communist Party

2) I still firmly believe in communism, Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought, and carry on a lifelong struggle for the realization of communism in China.

3) Being old and sick and having not long to live, I call for, if after my death, China should see the reemergence of a true Mao Zedong continuing revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat party organization, my readmission as a full member of such a Party organization.

My life has been poor and pure with little financial savings. I have RMB 30,000 intended to be my Party dues in the event I am admitted to such a new Party organization. The above declaration is effective July 1, 2001

Signed

Zhang Lushi

July 19, 2001

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