Early Years
Wei was the oldest of four children, brought up by Chinese Communist Party cadres. In 1966 Wei joined the Red Guards as a 16 year-old student during the Cultural Revolution. Wei lived in remote rural areas in Northern China and was able to speak with peasant farmers about the widespread famines that had occurred a few years before, during the Great Leap Forward. Wei discovered the role that the communist government under Mao Zedong had played in causing the famines, and it forced Wei to start questioning the nature of the system he lived under. Wei would later write about this period: "I felt as if I had suddenly awakened from a long dream, but everyone around me was still plunged in darkness." In 1973, Wei began work as an electrician at the Beijing Zoo.
Read more about this topic: Wei Jingsheng
Famous quotes related to early years:
“Even today . . . experts, usually male, tell women how to be mothers and warn them that they should not have children if they have any intention of leaving their side in their early years. . . . Children don’t need parents’ full-time attendance or attention at any stage of their development. Many people will help take care of their needs, depending on who their parents are and how they chose to fulfill their roles.”
—Stella Chess (20th century)