Peng Qi'an Explained

Peng Qi'an
Birth Date:1932
Birth Place:Chenghai
Known For:Shantou Cultural Revolution Museum

Peng Qi'an (; born 1932[1] in Chenghai[2] 3 January 2023[3]) was a Chinese municipal official and survivor of the Chinese Cultural Revolution who founded a museum in Shantou to commemorate the victims of the revolution, which opened in 2005.[4] He continued to serve as its volunteer curator.[5] The museum was closed in 2016.[6]

Persecution during Cultural Revolution

During the Cultural Revolution, which lasted from 1966 to 1976, Peng was subjected to at least 30 criticism sessions. In 1967 he was on a list of five people for whom execution was recommended to higher authorities,[5] due to his alleged association with a "counter-revolutionary" group named after two local leaders who had lost power.[7]

Later career

After the Cultural Revolution, Peng remained in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). From 1979 until 1983, he served as CCP Committee Secretary of Chaozhou.[8] He later served as the executive vice mayor of Shantou, overseeing the transportation, energy and telecommunications sectors.[9] In the subsequent years until his retirement in 1999, he served a consultant for the Shantou municipal government.[5] In 2012 he was chosen as an "excellent party member" of Shantou.[9]

Chinese Cultural Revolution Museum

See also: Shantou Cultural Revolution Museum. In 1996, Peng came across dozens of graves scattered around the slopes of Tashan Scenic Area.[10] [11] Having learned that these were victims of the Cultural Revolution who had died in 1967 and 1968, he started his efforts to turn the park into a memorial site.[12] He used a special mayor's fund to the amount of, which he was entitled to use at his discretion, as start-up funds. He intensified his efforts after his retirement from public office in 1999. The district government originally opposed the construction of the museum.[9] Friends and other officials expressed their worries to Peng that he might run afoul of authorities, but Peng remained unfazed.[5] The total funds raised by Peng amounted to over .[13] The donors included many friends of Peng who were fellow survivors.[5]

In 2003, Peng received from a friend a copy of a book by Yang Kelin (杨克林) entitled Cultural Revolution Museum. The descriptions in the book served as a blueprint for the main museum building.[12] On 1 January 2005, the museum was officially opened as the first museum in China dedicated to the Cultural Revolution.[14] [15]

In 2015, Peng handed over the museum to the local government, citing his old age.[1] [16] In late April 2016 the museum was closed down, fenced off and all inscriptions, monuments, and more were covered up.[6] [7] [17] In an interview with the New York Times, Peng expressed his belief that the order to close the museum had come not from local officials but "above", refusing further discussion of this point.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Two museums in China about the Cultural Revolution show very different versions of history. 2016-05-16. Quartz.
  2. http://news.163.com/special/c/0001139T/wenge050509.html Summaries of articles about the museum (in Chinese), www.163.com
  3. Web site: 广东汕头前副市长彭启安离世 曾建文革博物馆. Former Shantou deputy mayor Peng Qi'an has died – he built the Shantou Cultural Revolution Museum. aboluowang.com. 4 January 2023. zh-hans. 9 August 2024.
  4. Book: Li, Minggong. China's Three Major Mysteries. 2018-01-09. Sea Dove Culture Publishing Books Limited. 978-986-392-006-9. 361. zh-hant.
  5. News: China's Cultural Revolution museum a well-kept secret. Mark. MacKinnon. The Globe and Mail. 2010-07-22. 2021-08-08.
  6. Web site: Fate Catches Up to a Cultural Revolution Museum in China. Didi Kirsten. Tatlow. 2016-10-02. The New York Times.
  7. Web site: 中国一座文革博物馆被围栏遮掩. Chinese cultural revolution museum fenced and covered up. Didi Kirsten. Tatlow. The New York Times. 2016-10-08. 2021-08-29. zh-hans.
  8. Web site: 潮州市历任市委书记、市长. Successive municipal party secretaries and mayors of Chaozhou. mingdanwang.com. 2016-11-25. 2021-09-24. zh-hans.
  9. Web site: Remembering the dark days of China's Cultural Revolution. Sally. Wang. South China Morning Post. 2012-08-18. 2021-08-23.
  10. Book: Li, Jie. Utopian Ruins: A Memorial Museum of the Mao Era. 2020. Duke University Press. 978-147-801-018-0. 231. en.
  11. Web site: Southern Chinese city marks Cultural Revolution. Di. Lin. Sandy. Fung. Radio Free Asia. 2006-07-04. 2021-09-11.
  12. Book: Li, Jie. Utopian Ruins: A Memorial Museum of the Mao Era. 2020. Duke University Press. 978-147-801-018-0. 256. en.
  13. Web site: 文革:革了文化和人民的命(1). Tao. Hai. Voice of America. 2005-06-15. 2021-08-22. zh-hant.
  14. Book: Li, Minggong. China's Three Major Mysteries. 2018-01-09. Sea Dove Culture Publishing Books Limited. 978-986-392-006-9. 361. zh-hant.
  15. Web site: Fate Catches Up to a Cultural Revolution Museum in China. Didi Kirsten. Tatlow. 2016-10-02. The New York Times.
  16. Web site: 中國內地唯一文革紀念館被封. Gu. Li. Radio France International. 2016-05-05. 2021-08-10. zh-hant.
  17. Web site: 文革发动50周年纪念日临近 汕头文革博物馆被围封. Fan. Yang. 2016-05-06. Radio Free Asia. zh-hans.