One morning in August 1968,

1968 年 8 月一個早晨，

factory worker, Wang Xiaoping, overheard news of a mysterious mandatory meeting.

工廠工人王小平無意中聽見了一個神祕的強制性會議內容。

Rumors whispered through the cafeteria described shipments of a gift from the country's communist leader, Chairman Mao Zedong.

食堂裡流傳著關於中國共產黨領導人毛澤東主席送來禮物的傳言。

And sure enough, managers soon dispersed a gift to every factory worker—

果不其然，工廠經理們很快就給每個工廠工人發了一份禮物——

a glass box encasing a golden wax replica of a mango.

一個玻璃盒，裡面裝著金色蠟製成的芒果複製品。

Wang Xiaoping's factory wasn't the only facility to receive this unusual offering.

王小平的工廠不是唯一收到這不尋常禮物的工廠。

The Chairman gifted fresh mangoes to factories across China,

主席將新鮮芒果發送給中國各地的工廠。

leading employees to stay up late, touching the fruits and contemplating the meaning behind Mao's gesture.

這導致了工人們徹夜不眠，摸著水果，思考主席此舉的含義。

Some tried to preserve the fresh mangoes in formaldehyde,

有些人試圖用甲醛保存芒果，

while others ate the fruit and commissioned wax replicas of their prize.

另一些人則將芒果吃了並委託製作其蠟像複製品。

In one factory, workers initiated a strange ritual:

在一家工廠，工人們發起了一種奇怪的儀式。

peeling and boiling their mangoes to create a "holy" broth that was spooned into their mouths.

將芒果去皮燉煮，熬製「聖湯」喝下。

Since traditional Chinese medicine often involved boiling ingredients,

由於傳統中醫常有熬藥此步驟，

it's possible this mango wine was concocted as a kind of healing tonic.

有可能這種「芒果湯」是被當作具療效的補藥。

Soon, fables formed that the fruit ensured a long life like the Peaches of Immortality from Chinese mythology.

不久，出現了個傳說：這種水果可以使人長生不老，就像中國神話中的仙桃。

And by refusing to eat the mangoes himself, Mao had generously sacrificed his own longevity for the working class.

而毛主席犧牲自我，將此長壽的機會讓給了工人階級。

But whatever Mao's intentions, this mango mania wasn't as frivolous as it might seem.

但無論毛澤東的意圖如何，這種芒果狂熱並不像表面看來那麼單純。

And in fact, it's harmless appearance hid a much darker truth.

事實上，在它無害的外表下隱藏著一個更加黑暗的真相。

Two years earlier, Mao Zedong had launched the Cultural Revolution,

兩年前，毛澤東發動了文化大革命。

a decade-long political and ideological movement intended to erase capitalist thought and cultural traditions from Chinese society.

一個長達十年的政治和意識形態運動，旨在消除中國社會中的資本主義思想和文化傳統。

To enact this plan, Mao called on the Red Guards, a student-led paramilitary group.

為了實施此計劃，毛澤東召集了紅衛兵，一個由學生領導的準軍事組織。

He enlisted them to help eradicate the "Four Olds"—

他號招學生們一起破「四舊」，

a vaguely defined set of customs, habits, and ideas often associated with the elite upper-class.

一套與精英階級相關，定義模糊的習俗、習慣及思想。

Mao's dogma was militant, and the Red Guard interpreted his vision as achievable only through violence.

毛澤東的教條是激進的，而紅衛兵認為他的願景只有通過暴力才能實現。

The Red Guard acted above law and order, ransacking temples and tombs,

紅衛兵的行事凌駕於法律和命令之上，他們橫掃寺廟及陵墓，

including those of dynastic royalty and Confucius.

其中包括皇室陵寢和孔子故地。

Homes were raided and piles of books burned in the streets.

家戶被突襲搜查，成堆的書籍在街上被焚燬。

But the Red Guard's rampage went far beyond property damage.

但紅衛兵的暴行遠不僅止於財產損失。

They began holding "struggle sessions"—

他們開始招開「批鬥大會」

public spectacles designed to shame so-called class enemies.

公開羞辱所謂的「階級敵人」。

Victims were accused of holding elitist, capitalist values,

受害者被指控擁護精英、資本主義價值觀。

and were often forced to wear heavy signs detailing their crimes.

並且經常被迫掛上沉重的標示，上頭詳細列出了他們的「罪行」。

The Red Guard pressured people to accuse their friends and family.

紅衛兵向人們施壓，要求他們批鬥自己的朋友及家人。

They manipulated students to denounce their teachers and parents.

他們操縱學生告發老師及父母。

They gradually morphed into torture and executions.

這逐漸演變成了酷刑和處決。

After two years of the Red Guards' chaos,

經過兩年的紅衛兵大亂，

Mao recanted his support and sent 30,000 factory workers to fight the Red Guard at Qinghua University.

毛澤東收回了他的支持，並派遣三萬名工廠工人於清華大學鬥爭紅衛兵。

With the help of the People's Liberation Army,

在人民解放軍的幫助下，

these factory workers succeeded, and Mao thanked them for their service with a crate of 40 mangoes.

這些工廠工人成功了，而毛澤東用一箱箱 40 裝的芒果感謝他們為黨的服務。

This gesture wasn't quite as generous as it appeared since Mao was actually passing along a gift he received from Pakistan's foreign minister.

這一舉動並不像看上去那麼慷慨，因為毛澤東實際上是轉送了他從巴基斯坦外交官那收到的禮物。

But much worse, this reward was quickly tainted by the ideology of the Cultural Revolution.

但更糟糕的是，這種獎勵很快就被文化大革命的意識形態所玷污。

As a propaganda tool, Mao's mangoes demanded high levels of respect.

作為一種宣傳工具，高度尊重毛澤東的芒果成了必要。

Workers boarded unheated buses in sub-zero temperatures to visit mandatory mango exhibitions organized by the government.

工人們毫無選擇，在零下的氣溫中登上沒有暖氣的巴士，前往參觀政府策劃的芒果展覽。

Factory workers were scolded for not holding their replicas securely.

工人們因沒有小心保存芒果複製品而備受指責。

And in Sichuan, a man who remarked that the mango was "nothing special" and "looked like a sweet potato"

而在四川，有個說芒果「沒什麼特別」和「看起來像個紅薯」的人

was arrested, tried, and executed.

因而遭到逮捕，審判並被處決。

For reasons mostly unknown, the mango fever broke a year and a half later.

不知為何，芒果熱在一年半後退燒。

After the Red Guard was dissolved and participants were sent to the countryside for re-education,

紅衛兵被解散，參與者被下放到農村進行再教育，

the mystifying mango faded from official propaganda.

而官方宣傳中再不見神秘芒果的蹤影。

Wax from the replicas were repurposed for candles during power outages.

芒果複製品的蠟在停電時被重新利用，製成蠟燭。

And today, you'd be lucky to find an antique mango tray or medallion while perusing a Beijing flea market.

而今天，如果幸運的話，你還能在逛北京跳蚤市場時找到古董芒果托盤或紀念章。

But the tale of Mao's mangoes is just a minor story amidst a decade of painful, buried history.

但這個芒果故事只是長達十年痛苦、被掩埋歷史中的一個小小插曲。

Discussion of the Cultural Revolution is restricted across China.

中國各地對文化大革命的討論仍舊受到限制。

And though some former Red Guards have attempted to challenge this policy by publicly reflecting and apologizing for their actions,

儘管一些前紅衛兵試圖通過公開反省和道歉來挑戰這一政策，

they still avoid maligning Mao Zedong.

他們仍會避開詆譭毛澤東。

Given the current political landscape of China,

鑑於中國目前政治氣候，

only time will tell when this history will be discussed openly and freely.

只能交給時間來見證這段歷史何時能被公開、自由地討論。