Chapter 16 Summary and Analysis

Mao dismisses traditional party channels and uses groups of young people called "Red Guards". They wreak havoc at Mao's urging, burning books and art and beating teachers, often to death. Yu-lin, De-hong's brother, was beaten as were his wife and children and his family was exiled. The young people of the Red Guard run wild, forcing people to do away with high heeled shoes, closing down tea houses, and ransacking homes. Jung is forced to be involved, though her own gentle nature makes her unacceptable as a member. Jung sees an old man calmly sipping tea as her classmates are smashing up a tea house, declaring it "bourgeois". She works up her courage and asks him to "please leave". He says that home is a small room he shares with his two grandsons and that the brief interval of peace at...