Cultural Revolution Station 4

Re-education Camps 

During the Cultural Revolution, urban intellectuals and government bureaucrats were sent to work camps in the countryside. At these camps, called 7 May Cadre Schools, people who were used to working in offices experienced what it's like to perform hard labor in the fields all day.

The camps had two purposes. First, they taught the urban intellectuals and bureaucrats the value of hard work. These camps were sometimes called "re-education camps" because of their goal of "re-educating" the middle class about the importance of farm labor. Second, they removed from the cities people who might pose a threat to the Communist government.

Conditions in the camps were often very poor. Often the camps did not produce enough food, and some people died in the camps.

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