The Propaganda Wall
- At the end of the alley, Ji-li notices a propaganda wall.
- It's the place to hang your latest da-zi-bao or poster of Mao.
- One night, a counterrevolutionary is caught trying to scrape a da-zi-bao off the propaganda wall.
- Six-Fingers (the Red Guard in charge) and his buddies get more meticulous after that. They don't let anyone off the hook—even for the smallest so-called offense.
- The latest on the propaganda wall? A poster announcing that Jia Hong-yu is coming to town. She's a famous Red Guard leader who will give them all a big report.
- At the meeting, Jia Hong-yu tells a story about meeting Chairman Mao: Everybody lined up for hours just to catch a glimpse of the guy, but it was worth it. Legend has it that seeing Mao makes you happy.
- When she's done with the story, there's not a dry eye in the house, and everyone chants, "Long live Chairman Mao!"
- Later, Ji-li watches from her window as Old Qian is forced to kneel on a sharp washboard for hours while the Red Guards empty out his house.
- Sure, Old Qian is an old grump, but he didn't do anything wrong—his biggest crime was not lending a Red Guard his bike.
- Ji-li feels really conflicted about Old Qian. On the one hand, he's a counterrevolutionary who deserves what's coming to him; on the other hand, though, he's just an old guy with a bike.
- Eventually, Old Qian faints from heatstroke and has to be carried back into the house.
- The next day, they find out An Yi's grandma jumped out the window and killed herself.
- Ji-li remembers her being a really nice old lady, but she was being harassed about her class status.
- To make matters worse, suicide is a crime in revolutionary China, so An Yi's family isn't even allowed to have a proper funeral to say goodbye.