Life and Death in Shanghai

 Word count: 256 words

    Nien Cheng lived an insanely tough life where she experienced unimaginable circumstances throughout the Cultural Revolution. The Cultural Revolution was a revolution led by Mao Zedong, attempting to keep Chinese Communism running at full force. Nien Cheng's house was broken into by members of the revolution, completely destroying the inside of her home. She then spent six years inside "No. 1 Detention House" in solitary confinement, not feeding her well, etc. They believed she was a spy for the West. I greatly admire that no amount of mental or physical torture could bring her down- she was relentless. An officer said to her, "You must admit your guilt not only to the People's Government, but also to yourself. The admission of guilt is like the opening of floodgates. When you admit that you are indeed guilty... your confession will flow out easily." Her innocence is what kept her going. She wasn't going to fall to their tactics, because she always was sure of herself. Cheng's daughter was also found dead, after committing suicide, adding to the complete despair in her life at this time. Thankfully, Cheng arrived safely in in the United States, feeling blessed and fortunate to be able to experience the life she now could have. Freedom was the exact feeling she experienced for the first time in a very long time. She never allowed scary situations to take her down or make her comfortable in backing down. This fuels her to stand up for herself to take back the life she so deserves.