Chapter 15 Summary and Analysis

As Mao begins to fear that his power is being threatened, he seeks ways to regain his standing. In the new era, plays and novels are being released. Mao begins to persecute some of the writers and artists, calling again for names of dissidents. Many are wrongfully persecuted, just as had been the case a decade earlier. This time, some stand up to Mao. An article he's written for the newspapers is not printed immediately, another indication that he is no longer the super power he'd once been.

In this setting, De-hong takes control of a group of students who have made "prisoners" of teachers they believe to be guilty under Mao's guidelines. Once they have the teachers rounded up, they look to De-hong for guidance and she tells them to release the teachers, adding that the students owe their elders...