Guangxi Massacre

Guangxi Massacre
Part of Cultural Revolution in China
Guangxi province in the People's Republic of China
Native name	广西大屠杀
Location	Guangxi, China
Date	1967–1976
Attack type	Massacre, cannibalism, politicide, lynching, rape, beheading, beating, live burial, stoning, drowning, boiling, disembowelment
Deaths	70,400[1]–500,000[1] (Official: 100,000–150,000) At least 421 persons were eaten
Victims	Five Black Categories and their families, "class enemies"
Perpetrators	Red Guards, members and ranking cadres of the Chinese Communist Party, local Militia
Motive	Hatred and conflicts between rebel faction and conservative faction in Guangxi; different interpretation of Maoism; political hatred towards landlords and wealthy peasants instigated by the Chinese Communist Party

The Guangxi Massacre (simplified Chinese: 广西大屠杀; traditional Chinese: 廣西大屠殺; pinyin: Guǎngxī Dàtúshā), or the Guangxi Cultural Revolution Massacre (广西文革大屠杀; 廣西文革大屠殺; Guǎngxī Wéngé Dàtúshā), was a series of events involving lynching and direct massacre in Guangxi during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976).^{[2][1][3][4][5][6]} The official record shows an estimated death toll of 100,000 to 150,000.^[1][6] Methods of slaughter included beheading, beating, live burial, stoning, drowning, boiling, and disemboweling.^[1][7]

In certain areas including Wuxuan County and Wuming District, massive human cannibalism occurred even though no famine existed.^[1][3][4][8] According to public records available, at least 137 people—perhaps hundreds more—were eaten by others and at least thousands of people participated in the cannibalism.^[5][9] Other researchers have pointed out that 421 victims who could be identified by name were eaten, and there were reports of cannibalism across dozens of counties in Guangxi.^[6][9][10] Although the cannibalism was sponsored by local offices of the Communist Party and militia, no direct evidence suggests that anyone in the national Communist Party leadership including Mao Zedong endorsed the cannibalism or even knew of it.^[5][9][11] However, some scholars have pointed out that Wuxuan County, through internal channels, had notified the central leadership about the cannibalism in 1968.^[10]

After the Cultural Revolution, people who were involved in the massacre or cannibalism received legal punishments during the "Boluan Fanzheng" period. In Wuxuan County where at least 38 people were eaten, fifteen participants were prosecuted, receiving up to 14 years in prison, while ninety-one members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) were expelled from the party and thirty-nine non-party officials were either demoted or had a salary cut.^{[1][4][5][7][11]}