After six years in prison, Li Dunbai didn't lose confidence in China's * * * production party. As always, he devoted himself to the cause led by China's * * * production party, demanding China nationality. However, Zhou Enlai thought that retaining American citizenship was more conducive to friendly exchanges between China and the United States, so he listened to the advice and retained his identity as an American expert, becoming the only foreign expert in the English group of the Broadcasting Bureau at that time.
His main job at that time was to polish and proofread English broadcast manuscripts, and later he participated in the translation and finalization of Selected Works of Mao Zedong. Here, Li Dunbai not only has access to all kinds of confidential documents, but also enjoys preferential treatment-he has an independent office for work, a dormitory for senior cadres, and a car on call.
Here, Li Dunbai also found his lifelong partner, Wang Yulin, and got married on1February, 956 1 1. In the following years, political movements in China followed one after another. First, 1957' s "anti-rightist" struggle, then 1958' s "Great Leap Forward" movement and people's commune movement, and 1963' s "four clean-ups" movement, in which Li Dunbai participated. After the outbreak of the "Cultural Revolution", Li Dunbai became the man of the hour in the broadcasting bureau. At a critical meeting, he gave a speech on stage and said with emotion, "When I was young, I worked among steel workers and coal miners in my hometown in the United States. It was party member, the American Producer Party. I know very well how capitalists exploit workers and how painful their lives are. China can't take the capitalist road anyway. " His "statement" won warm applause from the people present.
1 966 65438+1October1,which is also the celebration of the 0/7th anniversary of the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC). On this day, Li Dunbai won a special honor. In the past, foreign experts in Beijing watched the opening ceremony on the viewing platform under Tiananmen Gate. On this day, six foreign friends, including Strong and Li Dunbai, were invited to the Tiananmen Gate, and Li Dunbai was flattered. At the end of 12, six of them were invited to take photos with Mao Zedong. He respectfully called Mao Zedong "Chairman", while Mao Zedong said his English name "Rittenberg" in English. He took out the "little red book"-"Quotations from Mao Zedong" and asked Mao Zedong to sign it.
Mao Zedong asked him what to write. He was stupefied and said, write your name. Mao Zedong took the little red book in his left hand and the pen handed by Li Dunbai in his right hand, and wrote the word "Mao Zedong". Later, he recalled this incident and regretted it: "I should have asked him to write down new instructions to the masses, or his famous poems, or a personal message to me, or a message to the American people, or a message to whom, but I couldn't remember at that time."
The next day, People's Daily and all newspapers published photos of Mao Zedong and Li Dunbai in the first edition. As a result, Li Dunbai's name spread like wildfire and immediately spread all over the country.
1967 after the "Shanghai January" storm seized power, Li Dunbai participated in the "power grab" struggle of the broadcasting bureau as an "international fighter". At that time, the broadcasting bureau was divided into "rebels" and "conservatives", and the struggle was very fierce and complicated. Li Dunbai advocated eliminating differences and achieving great unity through democratic discussion. However, the two sides have never been able to talk normally, and the "Central Cultural Revolution Group" asked them to "rectify the wind". But both sides still hold their own opinions. As a result, the "rectification school" in the middle state appeared. Li Dunbai's status as a foreigner attracted the attention of Jiang Qing, Kang Sheng and other "Central Cultural Revolution Group" officials. 1February, 967, the "Central Cultural Revolution Group" set up a "three-person group" composed of "rectification personnel" in the Broadcasting Bureau, and Li Dunbai was appointed as the nominal head. Li Dunbai not only holds an important position in the Broadcasting Bureau, but also is the leader of the foreign rebel group "Bethune-Yan 'an Rebel Group" in Beijing. In his own words, he was "red and purple". In addition to the broadcasting bureau, many schools, institutions and rebel rallies in the square invited him to give a speech. Walking in the street, he will be surrounded by countless citizens, vying for autographs. All these make Li Dunbai's mind swell a little.
On April 8th, 1967, People's Daily published Li Dunbai's article "The Cultural Revolution in China opened the waterway of productism".
In Tsinghua University, the rebel-"Tsinghua University Jinggangshan Corps" held the famous "300,000-person Interrogation King Meeting", and delivered a strongly worded speech on behalf of foreign rebels.
In the climax of the "Westernization Mouth" rebels' bombardment of Foreign Minister Chen Yi, Li Dunbai once said emotionally at a meeting criticizing the "cultivation" of blacks: "Westernization Mouth, the mouth to the outside world, is to do the revolution and the world revolution. Therefore, the leadership of the foreign affairs department must and will be in the hands of the firm proletarian revolutionary left, never in the hands of the right, and never in the hands of the ignorant people in the middle. Therefore, all those who are hesitant, it is best to stand up and stand on the side of Chairman Mao's proletarian command. " In the eyes of the rebels, the so-called "foreign affairs coach" under the leadership of "Rightists" refers to Chen Yi (it is widely known that Chen Yi was called his "rightist friend" in his speech during the Cultural Revolution).
Although Li Dunbai later said in his memory that Chen Yi was his friend, and he also cared about and greeted Chen Yi's health at the Tiananmen Gate on May Day, it is an indisputable fact that he did "bombard" Chen Yi with words.
I also took part in the criticism of old friends and leaders such as Lu, Yang and Li.
At that time, Ma, an old friend of mine, had persuaded him to stay away from political disputes in China. Li Dunbai, in a frenzy, didn't listen to his old friend's advice.