War hero's son sorry for persecution of his teachers during Cultural Revolution
Chen Xiaolu apologises for his misdeeds during Cultural Revolution ahead of Maoist Bo's trial
The son of a war hero and military leader has publicly apologised for torturing and persecuting his teachers during the Cultural Revolution, amid a wave of red nostalgia across the country ahead of the trial of leading Maoist politician Bo Xilai.
Chen Xiaolu, the youngest son of legendary PLA leader Marshal Chen Yi, expressed remorse and apologised to staff, teachers and students at his former school who were tortured or sent to labour camps between 1966 and 1976.
Chen Xiaolu has chosen the right time to make his reformist noises when debate over China's future has intensified
"Today I want to use the internet to express to them my sincere apologies," he said in a blog for alumni of the Beijing Number Eight Middle School. Chen's statement was published by many news websites on the mainland yesterday.
Chen, who was a founder of the Red Guard Police Corp in Beijing, made the remarks after seeing old pictures of "struggle sessions" at his former school in 1966 posted on the school's website on Monday by a classmate.
Chen's apology comes at a time of intense debate over the nation's future in the run-up to a party meeting this autumn.
It also emerged just one day before the trial of former Politburo member Bo, another famed princeling (as children of revolutionaries are called), on charges of corruption and abuse of power. Before his fall from grace, Bo championed a "red" campaign pushing Maoist nostalgia.
"Chen Xiaolu has chosen the right time to make his reformist noises when debate over China's future has intensified," said Chen Ziming, a political analyst who also attended Beijing Number Eight Middle School, which enrolled the children of senior leaders.