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[00:00]
Ryan Reynolds
Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile Now. I was looking for fun ways to tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited Premium Wireless for $15 a month is back. So I thought it would be fun if we made $15 bills, but it turns out that's very illegal. So there goes my big idea for the commercial. Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment
[00:22]
Grainger Advertiser
of $45 for three months, $90 for six months or $180 for a 12 month plan. Required $15 per month equivalent taxes and fees Extra initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes me slow when network is busy. See terms.
[00:40]
Lindsey Graham
It's August 5, 1966, at Beijing Normal University Girls School in Beijing, China. 50 year old Vice principal Bian Jeongyung sits trembling behind a locked door as a mob of her own students pounds the walls with sticks and clubs. Just a few months ago, Jong Yong would have disciplined such misbehavior without hesitation. But not anymore. Because in Chairman Ma China, power no longer resides with the teachers, belongs to the students. Ever since Mao began what he calls a Cultural Revolution, once respected educators are now seen as enemies of the people, symbols of an old society that must be torn down. Knowing that the door won't hold for long, Jong Yun slowly rises, resigned to her fate. She opens the door and the polite girls she once taught now seethe with fury. Before Jong Yong can say a word, they pounce. The girls punch and kick and aim their clubs at Jung Yong's face. Jeongyeong crumples to the floor, and as she goes down, hands grab her by the hair and she's dragged out down the hallway. She flails her legs and screams, trying to stop them, but the mob has her and it won't let go. By the time a nearby hospital is alerted to the attack on Bian Jiangyun, it's too late. Zhongyun will become the first known victim of Chairman Mao's Cultural Revolution. Far more violence and destruction will follow her death at the hands of her students on August 5, 1966. Hello History Daily listeners. The live show I've been telling you about for a few weeks has a new date, October 23rd at the Plaza Theater in Garland, Texas. This is my Days that Made America Tour, a thrilling evening of history, storytelling and music with me and a band live on stage. So if you're in the North Texas area or anywhere close, be sure to come out and see me live. More shows will be announced soon too, so for information on tickets and Upcoming dates go to historydailylive.com that's historydailylive.com come see my days that Made America Tour live on stage. Go to historydailylive.com
[02:55]
Homebase Advertiser
this episode sponsored by Homebase. Homebase is built for small businesses trying to do it all the neighborhood coffee shop, the local gym, the family run restaurant. With Homebase, you can schedule your team, track time, run payroll and manage hiring from one easy app so you can spend less time chasing timesheets and more time running the business your customers love. More than 150,000 small businesses already use Homebase to keep their teams on track. Start free@join homebase.com Homebase built for small Businesses that Do it all when you're
[03:32]
Grainger Advertiser
a maintenance engineer in a beverage manufacturing plant, you keep production lines moving and quality on track because there is no room for slowdowns. With Grainger's vast selection of high quality motors, sensors, belts and hard to find parts, you can get what you need fast and all in one place so nothing gets in the way of getting the job done. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickranger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.
[04:02]
Grainger knows when you're a procurement manager for an office park, you're not managing one building, you're managing all of them. And to stay ahead, you need to see through walls and around corners. Lights about to fail, Filters ready to clog H Vac on its last leg. If you wait until something breaks, you're already behind. Count on Grainger for quality products, easy reordering and 24. 7 support. Call 1-800-GRAINGER click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.
[04:32]
When you're a maintenance engineer in a beverage manufacturing plant, you keep production lines moving and quality on track because there is no room for slowdowns. With Grainger's vast selection of high quality motors, sensors, belts and hard to find parts, you can get what you need fast and all in one place so nothing gets in the way of getting the job done. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickranger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.
[05:05]
Lindsey Graham
From noiser and airship I'm lindsey graham and this is history. Daily. History is made every day on this podcast. Every day we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world. Today is August 5, 1966, the murder of Vice Principal Bian Jeongyong. It's June 2, 1966 at Beijing Normal University Girls School in Beijing, China. Two months before Bian Zhongyun is beaten to death by her own students, 19 year old song Bin Bin strides into her chemistry class. A confident swagger in her step. Thanks to her family's connections to the top of the Chinese Communist Party, Bin Bin is not just another student. She's popular and well respected. And today she's ready to become a leader. In her hands, Bin Bin carries a large rolled up piece of paper. She unfurls it at the front of the class to reveal a poster that calls on young loyal communists to attack their counter revolutionary teachers. The poster carries a slogan with a stark Behave or we will teach you how. There's no doubt who this message is aimed at. Beneath the words is a crude hand drawn caricature of the school's vice principal, Bian Jeongyun. With help from two classmates, Bin Bin sticks the poster to the wall. Then the girls take their seat and eagerly wait for their chemistry teacher to arrive. Since Chairman Mao's Communist Party took control of China in 1949, the country has been ruled as a one party state. Any hint of rebellion has been met with violent retribution. But Mao's repressive rule has not been without problems. A speedy push to transform China's economy through industrialization has failed and millions of people have died in the devastating famine that followed. So to secure the loyalty of his unhappy nation, Chairman Mao began a new campaign that he called the cultural revolution. In May 1966, he summoned China's youth to rise up and take violent action against the 4 olds old customs, old thinking, old habits and old culture. Mao wanted nothing more than the destruction of the former ruling classes and for China's imperial cultural history to be erased. For the thousands of young Chinese students who idolize Mao, the Cultural Revolution is the perfect opportunity to show their support. Many have flocked to join the Red Guards, a fanatical youth movement set up to promote Mao's ideology. And at Beijing Normal University Girls School, one of the first students to sign up was Song Bin Bin. Now she perches on her seat in her chemistry class and waits to see the result of her first protest. A few moments later, Bin Bin's chemistry teacher walks into the classroom and looks at her students. The atmosphere is electric. At first, the teacher does not notice the poster on the wall behind her, but she can feel the tension in the room, the ripple of mocking laughter and shared smirks. The teacher quickly realizes something is wrong. It's only then that she turns and notices the poster. The personal attack on the vice principal is inappropriate, so the teacher moves to take the poster from the wall. But then one of the girls in the class begins to hiss. Then another, and another. The teacher freezes. She knows the power the state has and that they back the Red Guards. Fearing for her safety, the teacher backs away from the poster. Bin Bin smiles. She's confident that her actions would make Chairman Mao proud. But the poster is just the beginning of Bin Bin's campaign to cleanse the school of anti revolutionary sentiment. So within days, the protests escalate. Teachers face abuse in the hallways. The name calling soon evolves into shoves and then blows. Teachers who are accused of defying Mao or the Chinese Communist Party are beaten with sticks. And since anyone who tries to quell the disorder becomes a target themselves, the teachers are powerless to stop the violence. Regular criticism ceremonies see humiliated teachers shackled and dragged onto a stage to confess their anti revolutionary crimes. Abuse becomes a daily part of school life. So many teachers try to put up with the punishments in hope that the Cultural Revolution will soon pass or that the students will move on to another target. Others seek help from outside authorities, but their pleas for help are ignored. The Chinese Communist Party not only supports the Red Guards and the rebellious students, it encourages the violence. So with no one intervening to stop them, the attacks become more and more vicious. And thanks to her position as Vice principal, Bian Jiang Jun faces more animosity than most. This hatred will make her life a living hell until the day it spills over into an act of irreversible violence.
[10:10]
Grainger Advertiser
Grainger Knows when you're a procurement manager for an office park, you're not managing one building, you're managing all of them. And to stay ahead, you need to see through walls and around corners. Lights about to fail, Filters ready to clog. H Vac on its last leg. If you wait until something breaks, you're already behind. Count on Grainger for quality products, easy reordering and 24. 7 support. Call 1-800-GRAINGER click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.
[10:40]
When you're a maintenance engineer in a beverage manufacturing plant, you keep production lines moving and quality on track because there is no room for slowdowns. With Grainger's vast selection of high quality motors, sensors, belts and hard to find parts, you can get what you need fast and all in one place. So nothing gets in the way of getting the job done. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickranger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.
[11:09]
Lindsey Graham
Meet Keith Loving Dad Board Game Champ
[11:12]
Bus Driver Safety Advocate
Bus Driving Pro I drive 65,000 miles in my bus each year. If people knew what I know, lives could be saved. Like how there are some things I simply can't see on my route. The other day a car tried to sneak past me and ends up right in my blind spot. I turn slowly so accident avoided, but no car should be in the blind spot for a 40,000 pound bus.
[11:33]
Ryan Reynolds
It's our roads.
[11:34]
Bus Driver Safety Advocate
It's our safety.
[11:35]
Lindsey Graham
Visit www.sharetherodesafely.gov DQ presents the Blizzard Double
[11:41]
Dairy Queen Advertiser
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[12:18]
Lindsey Graham
It's the evening of August 4, 1966, in Beijing, China. Two months after students began an anti capitalist campaign at a city middle school, Vice principal Bian Jiangyun sneaks into her home and rushes up the stairs. She manages to make it to the bathroom without her family seeing. Turning on the light and looking into the mirror, Jong Yung sees a face she barely recognizes. Her lip is cut, her eyes black and swollen. Her hair is matted with ink and blood, and large chunks are missing where she was attacked with scissors and pens. Jeongyeong fills the sink with warm water. She does her best to gently wash out the ink and fix her hair. She dabs at her lip, but there's little she can do about the swollen eye. There's a soft knock on the bathroom door, and in a sympathetic voice, Jong Yong's husband tells her that dinner is ready but to only come when she's ready. Zhong Yong croaks out a reply, telling him that she'll be out soon. Xian Yong once considered herself an ardent supporter of the Chinese Communist Party. She joined the movement in 1941 and celebrated when it seized power eight years later. But Xiang Yong's faith in Chairman Mao and the Communist Party's vision for the future has faded in recent years. The launch of the Cultural Revolution has only deepened her doubts, but Xiang Yong thought she had kept her growing skepticism hidden until a slip up in class gave her away. A student asked whether they should save the school's portrait of Chairman Mao. In the event of a fire, Zhong Yong answered that they should simply get out of the building as quickly as possible. The implication, however slight, was that Zhong Yong was not a true believer in Chairman Mao. This was enough for students to label Xongyong a counter revolutionary. And almost immediately, they began verbally and then physically abusing her. She had written to local authorities asking for help, but her letters have gone unanswered. Then, earlier today, Xiang Yong faced her worst beating yet. And the girls warned her that worse was to come unless she confesses to being a counter revolutionary revisionist. Finally, Jong Yong switches off the bathroom light and goes downstairs to join her husband. A part of her understands that these attacks cannot go on like this forever. It's like her students are suffering from a collective fever. Eventually it will break, but she fears that the violence won't stop. Before someone takes things too far. Across the dinner table, Jung Yong's husband watches her with concern. He offers food and drink and tries to make cheery small talk. But Jung Yong says little in response. When the meal ends, she goes to bed early. The next day, she bids her husband goodbye with an unemotional handshake, wracked with worry about the day ahead. When she arrives at school, it doesn't take long for a group of students to come for her. They start beating on her office door. At first, Jung Yong ignores them, but her silence is taken as defiance. And that only makes the girls angrier. Knowing that they will break in eventually, Jong Yong decides she must face them and try to defuse the situation. But as soon as she unlocks the door, she is attacked. Jeong Yong is dragged into the playground so the entire school can witness her punishment. She is told that her crimes mean she is condemned to death and ordered to admit that she is a counter revolutionary revisionist before her execution. But Jung Yong won't give the students the confession they want. Once the girls realize this, their fury reaches a new height. One of them grabs a mop bucket and forces its dirty contents down Jung Yung's throat. They punch her and kick her and beat her with nail studded clubs. And even when Jong Yung loses consciousness, the blows don't stop. Eventually, she is left to die in the hot sun. Jong Yong's husband will only be notified of his wife's death hours later. Understanding that he has no way to seek justice, he will instead gather as much evidence as he can and save it for a later date. He will remove the bloody clothes from Jong Yong's body, and he will take one final family photo. With his wife's corpse positioned in front of their four children, Bian Jeong Jung's husband will hide all this evidence away, waiting for the madness of the Cultural Revolution to pass and the opportunity to finally come when he can show the world what was done to his wife.
[16:37]
Homebase Advertiser
This episode sponsored by Homebase Homebase is built for small businesses trying to do it all. The neighborhood coffee shop, the local gym, the family run restaurant. With Homebase, you can schedule your team, track time, run payroll and manage hiring from one easy app so you can spend less time chasing timesheets and more time running the business your customers love. More than 150,000 small businesses already use Homebase to keep their teams on track. Start free@joinhomebase.com Homebase built for small businesses that do it all.
[17:18]
Lindsey Graham
It's January 12, 2014 at Beijing Normal University Girls School in Beijing, China, nearly a half century after Bian Zhongyun was killed by her students. Now in her mid-60s, Song Bin Bin is in the hallway where Jong Yun was attacked. Standing before a memorial dedicated to the murdered teacher alongside four other former students of the school, Bin Bin bows her head, then after a moment's silence, reads from a prepared statement. She labels the Cultural Revolution a calamity and expresses remorse for her part in it. Bin Bin doesn't go as far to admit she was the one who attacked attack Xiang Yung, but she does apologize for not doing more to protect her teacher. Bian Xiang Yong's murder was not an isolated incident. During the so called red August of 1966, hundreds of teachers were killed in similar ways. As violence swept through China, thousands of others took their own lives to avoid the brutal punishments dished out by the Red Guards. But that was still just the beginning of the terror of Chairman Mao's Cultural Revolution. Over the next decade, around 2 million so called class enemies were killed or forced into suicide. The chaos and violence only came to an end after Mao's death in 1976. Years later, Song Bin Bin's expression of regret makes national headlines in China, but the words mean little to Xiong Yung's 92 year old widower. He doesn't just hold the Red Guard students responsible for his wife's murder. Their actions were evil, but they were brainwashed by Mao and the Chinese Communist Party. In his view, until the government officially apologizes, justice will never be served. But although he has shared the evidence he gathered back in 1966, the government has never been willing to look into his wife's murder too deeply. It's part of a wider pattern. Although the ruling party has officially declared that the Cultural Revolution was a severe setback, officials have been reluctant to discuss the regime's historic mistakes, let alone pursue justice for those killed. Even the memorial to Bian Jeongyung is evasive. Although the memorial records her name and the date of her death, there is no mention of the manner in which she died or that she was the first victim of one of the bloodiest periods in Chinese history, one that began with the whim of a dictator and burst into murderous violence on August 5, 1966. Next on History Daily August 6, 1824 A dramatic cavalry clash in the Peruvian Andes paves the way for the liberation of South America. From Noiser and Airship this is History Daily Hosted, edited and executive produced by me, Lindsey Graham Audio editing by Mohammed Shazi Sound design by Molly Bogg Supervising sound designer, Matthew Filler Music by Thrum. This episode is written and researched by Owen Paul Nichols Edited by Scott Reeves Managing Producer Emily Burke Executive producers are William Simpson for Airship and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.
[20:30]
Homebase Advertiser
This episode sponsored by Homebase. Homebase is built for small businesses trying to do it all the neighborhood coffee shop, the local gym, the family run restaurant. With Homebase, you can schedule your team, track time, run payroll and manage hiring from one easy app so you can spend less time chasing timesheets and more time running the business your customers love. More than 150,000 small businesses already use Homebase to keep their teams on track. Start free@joinhomebase.com Homebase built for small businesses that do it all.

Summary5 min read

History Daily – "The Murder of Vice Principal Bian Zhongyun" (August 5, 2026)

Host: Lindsey Graham
Episode Date: August 5, 2026
Historical Date Covered: August 5, 1966
Subject: The first recorded killing of Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution in China, focusing on the life and death of Vice Principal Bian Zhongyun.

Overview

This episode explores the harrowing events surrounding the murder of Vice Principal Bian Zhongyun at the hands of her students during the first days of Mao’s Cultural Revolution in 1966. Through vivid narrative and selective firsthand perspectives, host Lindsey Graham dissects how youthful zeal, ideological fervor, and state-sponsored violence converged to unleash chaos in Chinese schools—and forever alter the lives of those involved.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting the Stage: The Rise of the Red Guards

Backdrop: Mao Zedong’s establishment of the Cultural Revolution (initiated May 1966), calling on young people to attack the “Four Olds” (customs, thinking, habits, culture) (05:04).
Beijing Normal University Girls School: Among the first to experience this new wave of violence.
Song Bin Bin, a well-connected student, takes a leadership role in radicalizing her classmates (05:31).

"She’s popular and well-respected. And today she’s ready to become a leader… Bin Bin carries a large rolled up piece of paper. She unfurls it at the front of the class to reveal a poster that calls on young loyal communists to attack their counter revolutionary teachers..."
— Lindsey Graham (05:24)

2. Escalation of School Violence

June 1966: The poster campaign quickly evolves into acts of public shaming, physical abuse, and daily violence against teachers (07:30).
Mao’s Endorsement: The Chinese Communist Party encourages, rather than curtails, student violence; teachers face abuse, mockery, violence, and public confession rituals.
Bian Zhongyun: As vice principal, she is singled out for particularly harsh treatment and becomes a daily target.

"The teachers are powerless to stop the violence... the attacks become more and more vicious. And thanks to her position as vice principal, Bian Jiang Jun faces more animosity than most."
— Lindsey Graham (09:15)

3. Lead-Up and Details of the Murder

August 4, 1966: Bian returns home battered from school, quietly tending her wounds. Her husband offers comfort, but both sense escalating danger (12:17).

"Turning on the light and looking into the mirror, Jong Yung sees a face she barely recognizes. Her lip is cut, her eyes black and swollen. Her hair is matted with ink and blood, and large chunks are missing where she was attacked with scissors and pens."
— Lindsey Graham (12:23)
The Fatal Attack (August 5, 1966):
- Bian is barricaded in her office while students beat on her door. Realizing resistance is futile, she opens it, facing a vengeful mob.
- She is dragged outside, humiliated, beaten with nail-studded clubs, and ultimately murdered in front of the school (13:44).
- Her husband is later informed and, realizing no justice will be forthcoming, painstakingly documents the aftermath in photos and collects evidence (15:42).
"She is told that her crimes mean she is condemned to death and ordered to admit that she is a counter-revolutionary revisionist before her execution. But Jung Yong won’t give the students the confession they want. Once the girls realize this, their fury reaches a new height...even when Jong Yung loses consciousness, the blows don’t stop. Eventually, she is left to die in the hot sun."
— Lindsey Graham (14:44)

4. Aftermath, Remorse, and Legacy

2014 Memorial Visit: Decades later, Song Bin Bin visits the school’s memorial and issues a public statement expressing remorse, though stopping short of full admission (17:18).

"She labels the Cultural Revolution a calamity and expresses remorse for her part in it. Bin Bin doesn’t go as far to admit she was the one who attacked Xiang Yung, but she does apologize for not doing more to protect her teacher."
— Lindsey Graham (17:28)
Continuing Silence: Bian’s widower, now 92, continues to seek an official apology, arguing the state’s endorsement—and subsequent cover-up—of the events. The Communist Party has never fully investigated or acknowledged the true circumstances.

"He doesn’t just hold the Red Guard students responsible for his wife’s murder. Their actions were evil, but they were brainwashed by Mao and the Chinese Communist Party. In his view, until the government officially apologizes, justice will never be served."
— Lindsey Graham (18:40)
Historical Reckoning: The episode notes that Bian’s murder was only the beginning. During the Red August of 1966, hundreds of teachers faced similar fates, and throughout the Cultural Revolution’s decade-long terror, an estimated 2 million “class enemies” were killed or forced into suicide (18:00).

"Although the ruling party has officially declared that the Cultural Revolution was a severe setback, officials have been reluctant to discuss the regime’s historic mistakes, let alone pursue justice for those killed."
— Lindsey Graham (19:24)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Mao’s Campaign:
"In May 1966, he summoned China’s youth to rise up and take violent action against the 4 olds—old customs, old thinking, old habits and old culture."
— Lindsey Graham (05:56)
On Official Complicity:
"The Chinese Communist Party not only supports the Red Guards and the rebellious students, it encourages the violence."
— Lindsey Graham (08:30)
On Enduring Injustice:
"Although the memorial records her name and the date of her death, there is no mention of the manner in which she died or that she was the first victim of one of the bloodiest periods in Chinese history, one that began with the whim of a dictator and burst into murderous violence on August 5, 1966."
— Lindsey Graham (19:59)

Important Timestamps

[05:04] – Start of main story: Cultural Revolution context and Bian Zhongyun’s school.
[05:31]–[09:15] – Escalation of student violence at school; Song Bin Bin’s role.
[12:17]–[15:42] – Bian Zhongyun’s final evening, morning, and murder.
[17:18]–[19:59] – 2014 memorial, shaky apologies, family perspective, and the Party’s continued silence.

Tone and Language

The episode combines clinical narration with harrowing detail, maintaining an empathetic but unsparing tone. Graham’s storytelling is evocative, immersing the listener in the fear, confusion, and righteous anger felt by the victims and their families, while also acknowledging the mass manipulation and lasting trauma experienced by the perpetrators themselves.

Summary Takeaways

The murder of Bian Zhongyun was the first documented killing of Mao’s Cultural Revolution, an act that both foreshadowed and ignited a decade of chaotic violence and state terror.
Student enthusiasm for Mao’s vision—backed by the Party—quickly became a vehicle for mass abuse, humiliation, and murder, with teachers uniquely targeted.
Decades later, although individual remorse has been expressed (notably by student leader Song Bin Bin), there remains an official reluctance to confront or redress these wrongs; Bian’s murder is acknowledged but never fully explained by state memorials or history books.
The episode stands as both historical record and warning, illustrating how quickly ideological fervor and state propaganda can spiral into unchecked brutality.

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Transcript20 lines

[00:00]
Ryan Reynolds
Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile Now. I was looking for fun ways to tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited Premium Wireless for $15 a month is back. So I thought it would be fun if we made $15 bills, but it turns out that's very illegal. So there goes my big idea for the commercial. Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment
[00:22]
Grainger Advertiser
of $45 for three months, $90 for six months or $180 for a 12 month plan. Required $15 per month equivalent taxes and fees Extra initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes me slow when network is busy. See terms.
[00:40]
Lindsey Graham
It's August 5, 1966, at Beijing Normal University Girls School in Beijing, China. 50 year old Vice principal Bian Jeongyung sits trembling behind a locked door as a mob of her own students pounds the walls with sticks and clubs. Just a few months ago, Jong Yong would have disciplined such misbehavior without hesitation. But not anymore. Because in Chairman Ma China, power no longer resides with the teachers, belongs to the students. Ever since Mao began what he calls a Cultural Revolution, once respected educators are now seen as enemies of the people, symbols of an old society that must be torn down. Knowing that the door won't hold for long, Jong Yun slowly rises, resigned to her fate. She opens the door and the polite girls she once taught now seethe with fury. Before Jong Yong can say a word, they pounce. The girls punch and kick and aim their clubs at Jung Yong's face. Jeongyeong crumples to the floor, and as she goes down, hands grab her by the hair and she's dragged out down the hallway. She flails her legs and screams, trying to stop them, but the mob has her and it won't let go. By the time a nearby hospital is alerted to the attack on Bian Jiangyun, it's too late. Zhongyun will become the first known victim of Chairman Mao's Cultural Revolution. Far more violence and destruction will follow her death at the hands of her students on August 5, 1966. Hello History Daily listeners. The live show I've been telling you about for a few weeks has a new date, October 23rd at the Plaza Theater in Garland, Texas. This is my Days that Made America Tour, a thrilling evening of history, storytelling and music with me and a band live on stage. So if you're in the North Texas area or anywhere close, be sure to come out and see me live. More shows will be announced soon too, so for information on tickets and Upcoming dates go to historydailylive.com that's historydailylive.com come see my days that Made America Tour live on stage. Go to historydailylive.com
[02:55]
Homebase Advertiser
this episode sponsored by Homebase. Homebase is built for small businesses trying to do it all the neighborhood coffee shop, the local gym, the family run restaurant. With Homebase, you can schedule your team, track time, run payroll and manage hiring from one easy app so you can spend less time chasing timesheets and more time running the business your customers love. More than 150,000 small businesses already use Homebase to keep their teams on track. Start free@join homebase.com Homebase built for small Businesses that Do it all when you're
[03:32]
Grainger Advertiser
a maintenance engineer in a beverage manufacturing plant, you keep production lines moving and quality on track because there is no room for slowdowns. With Grainger's vast selection of high quality motors, sensors, belts and hard to find parts, you can get what you need fast and all in one place so nothing gets in the way of getting the job done. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickranger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.
[04:02]
Grainger knows when you're a procurement manager for an office park, you're not managing one building, you're managing all of them. And to stay ahead, you need to see through walls and around corners. Lights about to fail, Filters ready to clog H Vac on its last leg. If you wait until something breaks, you're already behind. Count on Grainger for quality products, easy reordering and 24. 7 support. Call 1-800-GRAINGER click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.
[04:32]
When you're a maintenance engineer in a beverage manufacturing plant, you keep production lines moving and quality on track because there is no room for slowdowns. With Grainger's vast selection of high quality motors, sensors, belts and hard to find parts, you can get what you need fast and all in one place so nothing gets in the way of getting the job done. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickranger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.
[05:05]
Lindsey Graham
From noiser and airship I'm lindsey graham and this is history. Daily. History is made every day on this podcast. Every day we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world. Today is August 5, 1966, the murder of Vice Principal Bian Jeongyong. It's June 2, 1966 at Beijing Normal University Girls School in Beijing, China. Two months before Bian Zhongyun is beaten to death by her own students, 19 year old song Bin Bin strides into her chemistry class. A confident swagger in her step. Thanks to her family's connections to the top of the Chinese Communist Party, Bin Bin is not just another student. She's popular and well respected. And today she's ready to become a leader. In her hands, Bin Bin carries a large rolled up piece of paper. She unfurls it at the front of the class to reveal a poster that calls on young loyal communists to attack their counter revolutionary teachers. The poster carries a slogan with a stark Behave or we will teach you how. There's no doubt who this message is aimed at. Beneath the words is a crude hand drawn caricature of the school's vice principal, Bian Jeongyun. With help from two classmates, Bin Bin sticks the poster to the wall. Then the girls take their seat and eagerly wait for their chemistry teacher to arrive. Since Chairman Mao's Communist Party took control of China in 1949, the country has been ruled as a one party state. Any hint of rebellion has been met with violent retribution. But Mao's repressive rule has not been without problems. A speedy push to transform China's economy through industrialization has failed and millions of people have died in the devastating famine that followed. So to secure the loyalty of his unhappy nation, Chairman Mao began a new campaign that he called the cultural revolution. In May 1966, he summoned China's youth to rise up and take violent action against the 4 olds old customs, old thinking, old habits and old culture. Mao wanted nothing more than the destruction of the former ruling classes and for China's imperial cultural history to be erased. For the thousands of young Chinese students who idolize Mao, the Cultural Revolution is the perfect opportunity to show their support. Many have flocked to join the Red Guards, a fanatical youth movement set up to promote Mao's ideology. And at Beijing Normal University Girls School, one of the first students to sign up was Song Bin Bin. Now she perches on her seat in her chemistry class and waits to see the result of her first protest. A few moments later, Bin Bin's chemistry teacher walks into the classroom and looks at her students. The atmosphere is electric. At first, the teacher does not notice the poster on the wall behind her, but she can feel the tension in the room, the ripple of mocking laughter and shared smirks. The teacher quickly realizes something is wrong. It's only then that she turns and notices the poster. The personal attack on the vice principal is inappropriate, so the teacher moves to take the poster from the wall. But then one of the girls in the class begins to hiss. Then another, and another. The teacher freezes. She knows the power the state has and that they back the Red Guards. Fearing for her safety, the teacher backs away from the poster. Bin Bin smiles. She's confident that her actions would make Chairman Mao proud. But the poster is just the beginning of Bin Bin's campaign to cleanse the school of anti revolutionary sentiment. So within days, the protests escalate. Teachers face abuse in the hallways. The name calling soon evolves into shoves and then blows. Teachers who are accused of defying Mao or the Chinese Communist Party are beaten with sticks. And since anyone who tries to quell the disorder becomes a target themselves, the teachers are powerless to stop the violence. Regular criticism ceremonies see humiliated teachers shackled and dragged onto a stage to confess their anti revolutionary crimes. Abuse becomes a daily part of school life. So many teachers try to put up with the punishments in hope that the Cultural Revolution will soon pass or that the students will move on to another target. Others seek help from outside authorities, but their pleas for help are ignored. The Chinese Communist Party not only supports the Red Guards and the rebellious students, it encourages the violence. So with no one intervening to stop them, the attacks become more and more vicious. And thanks to her position as Vice principal, Bian Jiang Jun faces more animosity than most. This hatred will make her life a living hell until the day it spills over into an act of irreversible violence.
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[11:09]
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Lindsey Graham
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[12:18]
Lindsey Graham
It's the evening of August 4, 1966, in Beijing, China. Two months after students began an anti capitalist campaign at a city middle school, Vice principal Bian Jiangyun sneaks into her home and rushes up the stairs. She manages to make it to the bathroom without her family seeing. Turning on the light and looking into the mirror, Jong Yung sees a face she barely recognizes. Her lip is cut, her eyes black and swollen. Her hair is matted with ink and blood, and large chunks are missing where she was attacked with scissors and pens. Jeongyeong fills the sink with warm water. She does her best to gently wash out the ink and fix her hair. She dabs at her lip, but there's little she can do about the swollen eye. There's a soft knock on the bathroom door, and in a sympathetic voice, Jong Yong's husband tells her that dinner is ready but to only come when she's ready. Zhong Yong croaks out a reply, telling him that she'll be out soon. Xian Yong once considered herself an ardent supporter of the Chinese Communist Party. She joined the movement in 1941 and celebrated when it seized power eight years later. But Xiang Yong's faith in Chairman Mao and the Communist Party's vision for the future has faded in recent years. The launch of the Cultural Revolution has only deepened her doubts, but Xiang Yong thought she had kept her growing skepticism hidden until a slip up in class gave her away. A student asked whether they should save the school's portrait of Chairman Mao. In the event of a fire, Zhong Yong answered that they should simply get out of the building as quickly as possible. The implication, however slight, was that Zhong Yong was not a true believer in Chairman Mao. This was enough for students to label Xongyong a counter revolutionary. And almost immediately, they began verbally and then physically abusing her. She had written to local authorities asking for help, but her letters have gone unanswered. Then, earlier today, Xiang Yong faced her worst beating yet. And the girls warned her that worse was to come unless she confesses to being a counter revolutionary revisionist. Finally, Jong Yong switches off the bathroom light and goes downstairs to join her husband. A part of her understands that these attacks cannot go on like this forever. It's like her students are suffering from a collective fever. Eventually it will break, but she fears that the violence won't stop. Before someone takes things too far. Across the dinner table, Jung Yong's husband watches her with concern. He offers food and drink and tries to make cheery small talk. But Jung Yong says little in response. When the meal ends, she goes to bed early. The next day, she bids her husband goodbye with an unemotional handshake, wracked with worry about the day ahead. When she arrives at school, it doesn't take long for a group of students to come for her. They start beating on her office door. At first, Jung Yong ignores them, but her silence is taken as defiance. And that only makes the girls angrier. Knowing that they will break in eventually, Jong Yong decides she must face them and try to defuse the situation. But as soon as she unlocks the door, she is attacked. Jeong Yong is dragged into the playground so the entire school can witness her punishment. She is told that her crimes mean she is condemned to death and ordered to admit that she is a counter revolutionary revisionist before her execution. But Jung Yong won't give the students the confession they want. Once the girls realize this, their fury reaches a new height. One of them grabs a mop bucket and forces its dirty contents down Jung Yung's throat. They punch her and kick her and beat her with nail studded clubs. And even when Jong Yung loses consciousness, the blows don't stop. Eventually, she is left to die in the hot sun. Jong Yong's husband will only be notified of his wife's death hours later. Understanding that he has no way to seek justice, he will instead gather as much evidence as he can and save it for a later date. He will remove the bloody clothes from Jong Yong's body, and he will take one final family photo. With his wife's corpse positioned in front of their four children, Bian Jeong Jung's husband will hide all this evidence away, waiting for the madness of the Cultural Revolution to pass and the opportunity to finally come when he can show the world what was done to his wife.
[16:37]
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[17:18]
Lindsey Graham
It's January 12, 2014 at Beijing Normal University Girls School in Beijing, China, nearly a half century after Bian Zhongyun was killed by her students. Now in her mid-60s, Song Bin Bin is in the hallway where Jong Yun was attacked. Standing before a memorial dedicated to the murdered teacher alongside four other former students of the school, Bin Bin bows her head, then after a moment's silence, reads from a prepared statement. She labels the Cultural Revolution a calamity and expresses remorse for her part in it. Bin Bin doesn't go as far to admit she was the one who attacked attack Xiang Yung, but she does apologize for not doing more to protect her teacher. Bian Xiang Yong's murder was not an isolated incident. During the so called red August of 1966, hundreds of teachers were killed in similar ways. As violence swept through China, thousands of others took their own lives to avoid the brutal punishments dished out by the Red Guards. But that was still just the beginning of the terror of Chairman Mao's Cultural Revolution. Over the next decade, around 2 million so called class enemies were killed or forced into suicide. The chaos and violence only came to an end after Mao's death in 1976. Years later, Song Bin Bin's expression of regret makes national headlines in China, but the words mean little to Xiong Yung's 92 year old widower. He doesn't just hold the Red Guard students responsible for his wife's murder. Their actions were evil, but they were brainwashed by Mao and the Chinese Communist Party. In his view, until the government officially apologizes, justice will never be served. But although he has shared the evidence he gathered back in 1966, the government has never been willing to look into his wife's murder too deeply. It's part of a wider pattern. Although the ruling party has officially declared that the Cultural Revolution was a severe setback, officials have been reluctant to discuss the regime's historic mistakes, let alone pursue justice for those killed. Even the memorial to Bian Jeongyung is evasive. Although the memorial records her name and the date of her death, there is no mention of the manner in which she died or that she was the first victim of one of the bloodiest periods in Chinese history, one that began with the whim of a dictator and burst into murderous violence on August 5, 1966. Next on History Daily August 6, 1824 A dramatic cavalry clash in the Peruvian Andes paves the way for the liberation of South America. From Noiser and Airship this is History Daily Hosted, edited and executive produced by me, Lindsey Graham Audio editing by Mohammed Shazi Sound design by Molly Bogg Supervising sound designer, Matthew Filler Music by Thrum. This episode is written and researched by Owen Paul Nichols Edited by Scott Reeves Managing Producer Emily Burke Executive producers are William Simpson for Airship and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.
[20:30]
Homebase Advertiser
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