A hoax or a conspiracy theory

This book, "Scarlet Memorial: Tales of Cannibalism in Modern China", is either a hoax of the Maria Monk type, or a conspiracy theory of the David Icke type.

The author, Zheng Yi, claims that politically motivated cannibalism on a massive scale took place during the Chinese Cultural Revolution in the Guangxi province. This truly remarkable claim is, however, utterly unconvincing.

Zheng Yi claim that there were tens of thousands of cannibals in Guangxi. How come nobody else noticed? China has never been a completely closed society, unlike North Korea. Besides, there was chaos in China during the Cultural Revolution. Why didn't people flee the area and alert the authorities, the PLA or some competing Red Guard faction? And how come everything was covered up so completely? No society can go mad, and then simply forget about it the day after. Further, Zheng Yi only managed to interview two cannibals in Guangxi! A remarkably low figure in a province where "everyone" must have experienced cannibalism... But one of the "cannibals" is clearly a pathological liar, while the other only admits of having eaten small parts of a victims' liver.

Zheng further claims that there are documents proving that cannibalism took place. These documents are only re-printed in the Chinese-language edition of the book. But this too is unconvincing. Documents can be forged. There are "documents" from the Moscow show trials as well. Originally, Zheng apparently supported the "right-wing" faction within the Chinese Communist Party. He visited Guangxi on an official mission to investigate "certain ultra-leftist deviations" during the Cultural Revolution. During this trip, he supposedly saw the documents. Apparently, the "right-wing" in Beijing were preparing a purge of the local party leadership in Guangxi. The documents claim that the local party boss was responsible for the cannibalism. In other words, the documents are forgeries in a intra-Stalinist purge.

Zheng wonders why nobody was ever brought to trial for cannibalism. Simple: the "right-wing" around Hua Guofeng and Deng Xiaoping must have realized that a "cannibal trial" would have strained the credulity of both domestic and foreign public opinion to the breaking point. Besides, the show trial against the Gang of Four largely failed, after Chiang Ching exposed it. A failed "cannibal trial" would have been even more embarrasing...

Inadvertently, Zheng Yi reveals another aspect of the situation that disproves him. Apparently, the local party in Guangxi was dominated by the Zhuang, a national minority traditionally regarded as cannibals by the majority Han population! AHA!! Here we have it!! The rumors of cannibalism are rooted in age-old Han racist prejudices against the Zhuang. After all, why cannibalism? And why Guangxi? Why these specific allegations, and why in that particular province? The explanation is obvious.

Zheng senses the problem, and devotes an entire chapter to absolve the Zhuang. Instead, he claims that the Han have a long tradition of cannibalism! This "politically correct" self-hatred (Zheng is Han himself) is not convincing. There are indeed ancient legends of cannibalism in China, but very little real proof of cannibalism out-side periods of famine.

In Sweden, some people take this book seriously. A respectable Swedish newspaper have promoted it several times. It's also been used in anti-Communist propaganda. This is amazing. Why do people believe a book like this? I believe that the explanation is sub-conscious racism against "Orientals". In the Western imagination, East Asiatics are often seen as cruel, totalitarian and irrational. This old prejudice was simply projected onto the new Communist regimes after World War Two, when "the yellow peril" became "the red menace".

Think about it. Would anyone accuse Stalin or Ceaucescu of cannibalism? Of course not. But accuse Mao, Pol Pot or Kim Il Sung of something, and you can get away with almost anything. Even tales of cannibalism in modern China.

ADDENDUM, 18 june, 2006

Incidentally, the book is NOT about famine-induced cannibalism, but VERY EXPLICITLY about (supposed) politically motivated cannibalism, carried out as a form of terror. Nobody denies that famine took place during the Great Leap Forward (long before the events "described" in the book), or that cannibalism and famine are connected. But there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever for cannibalism in China out-side periods of famine, like the "cases" described in this paranoid, delusional book.