Amy describes how she posted some photos to her friends this year, instead of writing a story about her mother. She was shocked when another person wrote the story of their mother and step mother, both high ranking communist party members. One of the mothers was very passionate about the revolution, had gone to Yan’an and gone through rectification, after which she had no feelings for her family.
Amy remembers a little girl she went to school with every day when she was young. During the cultural revolution, she went from being a best friend to attacking, torturing and almost beating Amy to death. Amy suggests the dramatic change was because their mothers were taught by the CCP not to love their children.
Amy mentions that the current leader of China had also been in prison, though in his case, his mother turned him in to the police. Amy considers herself fortunate that the attempts to brainwash her mother failed and she always loved her family.
Amy considers how, during the Cultural Revolution as well as now, so many people became so bad. She recalls that her mother did so many things to help other people and never asked anything in return.
Amy recalls a Shanghai acquaintance of her mother, whose father was German and mother Chinese. She had several kids from a previous marriage. She was a dancer at a night club, desperately hoping to marry someone. Eventually, she married a businessman. Her husband had left on a trip to Hong Kong, but the communists took over and he could not return, forcing her to borrow money to take care of herself and the kids. Amy’s mother was among those whom she borrowed money from.
Amy recalls that the government had limited their access to money, so her family did not really have money to give. Eventually, the acquaintances friend moved to Hong Kong. Amy’s mother received a phone call from the acquaintances son, explaining that his mother had passed away and left one request. She wanted to have Amy’s mother personally thanked for all the help she had been given. Amy asked her mother why she had never heard of her monthly contributions to her friend. Amy’s mother replied, “So what? She needed it. At that time I had, and whatever I had I gave.”.
Amy recounts that her mother spent 8 months fighting to get Amy’s work permit, never giving up until she succeeded. Amy says that while so many people changed and families fell apart, her mother never changed and never abandoned her love for her family. For this reason, Amy speculates that her mother was a real angel.