文革期间的毕业证

bookworm

文革期间的毕业证

2016-12-06 08:34:54 天津日报  孙福山

1 l: I3 K0 ]" x4 u    1966年5月，在河北杨村中学上高中三年级的我，已经填报完高考志愿，正集中精力自主复习。岂料，文化大革命开始了。6月6日，校园内贴出第一张大字报，随后大字报铺天盖地而来，声势浩大。我们升学的愿望“泡汤”了，只得放下书本，投入到“史无前例”的革命洪流中，这一“闹腾”就是两年多。1968年7月，学校革命委员会组织毕业生开展毕业教育，在班内开展“斗私批修”，人人都要表示“扎根农村干革命”“到三大革命运动实践中锻炼自己”的决心，并请来老知青模范侯隽、邢燕子来学校作《广阔天地，大有作为》报告。8月4日，高三、高二和初三、初二两届毕业生同时毕业，每人发一张毕业证。毕业证是一张很薄的普通白纸，经铅字打成蜡版、手工油印而成。我拿回家交给父亲，父亲看了看，笑着对我说：“就放在这个相片框子后面夹着吧，不受潮，不易丢。”

: l$ d* P( b, a1 c2 _& f   前不久，我把保存了48年的毕业证拿出来，纸面已经泛黄。毕业证页顶正中印着“最高指示”和“教育为无产阶级政治服务，教育与生产劳动相结合。”下面正中是“毕业证明”四个字，右侧是“（毕字第492号）。”正文：“学生孙福山，男（女），现年 21岁，系河北省武清县大沙河公社木厂村人。在我校高中学习期满，系一九六六届毕业生。通过两年多无产阶级文化大革命阶级斗争的实践锻炼，经过毕业教育合格，准予毕业。于一九六八年七月三十日离校，参加三大革命运动实践锻炼。特此证明。”另起一行是“敬祝毛主席万寿无疆！”右下角两行分别是“河北杨村中学革命委员会”和“一九六八年七月三十日”，上盖“河北杨村中学革命委员会”字样的公章。其中，证号、姓名、性别、年龄、籍贯、高（初）中、届别、日期等均用钢笔填写。
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　我把毕业证拍成照片，发到“老三届”微信群里。同学们见到后，倍感新奇，好多同学说没有毕业证，有的还说不记得有发证这回事。分享之余，大家边忆往昔“峥嵘岁月”，边倾诉着浓浓的思念和种种感慨。

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High School Graduation Certificates during the Cultural Revolution Era

Written account by Sun Fushang, first published in Tianjin Daily on December 6th, 2016

(original text in Chinese: http://news.hexun.com/2016-12-06/187211890.html )

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6 o3 @( \& A" w! lIn May 1966, I was in my final year* at Yang Village High School in Hebei. I had already completed my university applications and was focusing all my energy on revising for the entrance exam. [Then] who could have guessed it? The Great Cultural Revolution began. On June 6th, the first big-character poster appeared on the school premise. Immediately afterwards, big-character posters flooded everywhere, and their prestige was immense. Our hopes of post-secondary studies were dashed; we had to put down our books and throw ourselves into the “historically unprecedented” revolutionary currents. Once started, this “disruption” lasted for over two years. In July 1968, our school’s revolutionary committee organized graduating students to start graduation preparations. We held meetings in classrooms about struggles against private greed and revisionism. All of us had to demonstrate our determination to “root ourselves in the countryside for the revolution” and “to toughen ourselves by taking part in the Three Great Revolutionary Movements”.** [The committee] also invited youth models Hou Juan and Xing Yanzi to the school to give a report titled “Open World, Big Opportunities”. On August 4th, all those who were in their final two years of high school or middle school graduated together. Everyone was given a graduation certificate. The certificate was a very thin piece of ordinary white paper. It was hand-printed from a wax mould made from lead letterings. I took it home and showed it to my father. My father looked at it for a while, and said to me with a smile, “Stick it in the back of a photo frame. Won’t get wet. Won’t get lost easily.”


Recently, I took out my certificate which has been saved for 48 years. The paper had turned completely yellow. In the centre of the certificate’s header, it is printed “The Highest Orders” and “Education is in Service of the Proletarian Politics; Education is United with Production and Labour”. Just below the header appear the words “Graduation Certificate” in the centre and “Graduate Number 492” to the right. The official statement says “Student Sun Fushang, male, 21 years old this year, originated from Muchang Village of Dashahe Commune in Wuqing Country of Hebei Province. He has completed his studies at our high school. He is a member of the graduating cohort of 1966. He has undergone over two years of practical training for Proletarian Revolution Class Struggle, fulfilled all graduation requirements, and is approved for graduation. He leaves this school on July 13, 1968 to seek practical training in the Three Great Revolutionary Movements. This certificate is issued to verify the above.” Below this says “Long Live Chairman Mao!” and the right footer contains two lines: “Yang Village High School in Hebei” and “July 13th, 1968” stamped with the official insignia of the revolutionary committee of Yang Village High School in Hebei. In the certificate, the graduate number, name, gender, age, place of origin, graduating cohort (high school or middle school), year, and dates were filled out using an ink pen.

* t$ G" t; {4 G*The original document actually says “third year of high school”. Chinese students usually go through three years of middle school and three years of high school. The Yang Village High School actually both a middle and a high school, which is why there were four cohorts of graduating students.
** “Three Revolutionary Movements” refers to active participation in 1) class struggle 阶级斗争, 2) production struggle 生产斗争, and 3) scientific experimentation 科学实验. It was proposed by Mao as a necessary high-school education reform in 1963.