Song Binbin, a symbol of the Red Guards who led violence against teachers during China’s Cultural Revolution, passed away on Monday in New York City at the age of 77.
Song is perhaps best known for placing a Red Guards armband on Chinese Communist Party founder Mao Zedong during a ceremony at Tiananmen Gate on August 18, 1966.
At that time, Mao inquired if her name meant “Wenzhi Binbin” (文質彬彬), which signifies harmony between appearance and substance, as referenced in the Analects. When she confirmed this, Mao responded, “Don’t we need military force (要武嘛)?” From that moment, she changed her name to “Yao Wu” (要武), meaning “to require military force.”
Following this encounter, Song became a crucial figure in the Red Guards’ armed struggles, leading violent protests where students attacked teachers. At the time, she was just a high school student but was involved in brutal incidents, including the beating death of her former vice principal, Bian Zhongyun (卞仲耘).
In the popular Netflix series The Three-Body Problem, a scene depicting a Red Guard beating a teacher to death resonated with many Chinese viewers, reminding them of Song’s notorious past.
After the Cultural Revolution, Song immigrated to the United States in 1980 and returned to her alma mater in 2014 to express remorse. During her visit, she bowed before a statue of Vice Principal Bian and read a statement titled “My Apology and Gratitude,” acknowledging her role in the violence. “I took the lead in destroying school order and assaulting teachers. The Cultural Revolution was a catastrophic disaster. I have suffered and regretted it my whole life,” she stated.
However, Bian’s family did not accept her apology. Wang Jingyao, Bian’s husband and a former researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, expressed that it has been 48 years since Bian passed away. Yet, those responsible for such crimes still live freely without any repercussions. He further stated that the family would not accept what they consider insincere apologies from the Red Guards until the whole truth is revealed.
During the Cultural Revolution, many students were mobilized under the Red Guards. It was a political mass movement organization created by Mao Zedong. During this period, over 1 million people were killed or persecuted to death.
Song earned a Ph.D. from Boston University and obtained U.S. citizenship after immigrating to the U.S. She served as both owner and CTO of a British company and was selected as one of 90 honorary alums from Beijing Normal University.
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