The human world and "sand"

One day I used the word "mixed with sand" in a work conversation. My friend didn't understand it. I didn't have time to speak slowly at the time, so I let it go. However, many recent phenomena make me not want to let go of this word that should go into history. I feel that this is a phenomenon that has been happening and has a tendency to get worse. It's worth saying.

"Sand mixing" was a process used to build adobe walls for simple houses in rural areas before the 1980s: a certain amount of sand and a small amount of wheat straw and straw were mixed into the soil to increase the adhesion of the soil and reduce cracks in the adobe. Or when planting crops and flowers, add sand to the more fertile humus soil to enhance the water permeability of the soil, avoid water accumulation, and prevent plant root rot.

This kind of folk construction craftsmanship and agricultural soil improvement technology was once borrowed by Mao Zedong to refer to the political strategy and management skills of governing the "mountain top" separatism within the party and the military.

Relevant history: In 1969, Li Desheng, who had never worked under Lin Biao's leadership, was transferred to the central government and was sent by Mao Zedong to work in the Central Military Commission's working group controlled by Lin Biao. People who fell into the same situation and were dispatched successively include Li Xiannian, Ji Dengkui, Xiong Xianghui, Zhang Caiqian, etc. Such an approach showed that Mao Zedong had doubts about Lin Biao and did not trust the Military Commission's working group, because there were too many people in Lin Biao's direct lineage (four fields) and "the soil was too rigid." "Enter" is the same. Fear that such a situation would lead to a state of out-of-control power. The introduction of outsiders from different factions (heterogeneous) can create mutual suspicion and containment within the organization. Although differences of opinion reduce efficiency, they strengthen control. Such a strategy is called "sanding".

Going back further, during the Jinggangshan period, Mao Zedong sent He Changgong for political work and Chen Bojun for military training to Wang Zuo, Yuan Wencai, Li Wenlin, Dong Zhentang and other ministries. After the First and Fourth Front armies joined forces, the two were also sent to Zhang Guotao's department to make sand. From 1939 to 1941, Mao Zedong appointed Chen Boda (a teacher at the Marxist-Leninist Institute and deputy secretary-general of the Office of the Chairman of the Central Military Commission), Hu Qiaomu (secretary of the Political Bureau and director of the Central Propaganda Department), Ai Siqi (chairman of the Border Region Cultural Circles Association), and He Gan He gathered around him and gradually penetrated his influence into the theoretical propaganda and education department of the Communist Party of China controlled by those who stayed in the Soviet Union. Leading the rectification "study movement" into a deeper zone - to discuss the party's historical issues, directly challenging the ideological dominance controlled by Wang Ming and others, and creating shells to liquidate those who stayed in the Soviet Union.

By extension - all methods that change the personnel structure of an organization and inject new factors that are different from the original team to achieve the purpose of changing the balance of power of an organization and changing its nature and direction can be called "mixing sand" . The core is to break the agglomeration of single political forces and seek control from the checks and balances of different factions. During the Cultural Revolution, the practice of sending military propaganda teams, workers' propaganda teams, and agricultural propaganda teams to schools, scientific research institutes, and cultural departments to provide leadership, and even on podiums, so that workers, peasants, and soldiers went to universities was called "mixing sand" in an attempt to change "asset Class intellectuals rule the schools” (Mao Zedong’s words) and other superstructure situations. It was promoted with great fanfare at that time as a new thing of the Cultural Revolution.

Yang Jiang's article ("From "Mixing with Sand" to "Exile") describing the conflict with her neighbor Lin Fei (formerly known as Pu Liangpei) said that "letting the 'revolutionary masses' live in the homes of 'bourgeois authorities'" "Revolutionary measures", "As I later learned, this is called 'mixing sand'". "'Sand' is really just people in need of housing, with all different political profiles and expressions."

The above are explanations from various parties on the Internet.

The following is from my personal experience——

When I was in college, I had the opportunity to stay at a friend's house for half a year. Her home is a private house built in the Republic of China in a deep alley leading from the back entrance of the university. When I was in great need of help, my friend's father took the initiative to ask my friend to tell me that I could live in her home without paying rent and just take care of the food problem by myself.

At that time, my friend's brother happened to be working out of town, so I happened to move in and have a room that I could use alone. It was really a happy and free time. In addition to eating in class, I bought several sets of martial arts novels that my parents did not allow me to read. In that small room, I read them like crazy. What I remember now is that the 36 Jin Yong books published by Sanlian Bookstore were released that winter. He finished reading without missing a word. He had read most of Gu Long's books, and Chu Liuxiang must not have missed any of them. I didn’t fail my classes. I should have read a few biographies and a few philosophy books. I definitely haven’t finished the philosophy books. I remember that I put all the philosophy books on the outside of the bookshelf and hid the spines of a large number of martial arts novels. stand up. At that time, my parents would not allow me to read Jin Yong Gu Long's books... (Who would have thought that one day Jin Yong's novels would be included in Chinese textbooks!)

My friend's grandfather is an old Christian pastor, and his grandmother is a European beauty. Her grandfather died during the Cultural Revolution. Grandma also passed away in the early 1990s. My eldest uncle’s family went to the United States after the Cultural Revolution, my younger uncle’s family went to Hong Kong, and my aunt married in Thailand before the Cultural Revolution. From the many photo frames placed in the living room, I saw handsome and youthful faces, telling the story of a bustling time in a big family.

My good friend's father had polio since he was a child and had difficulty moving around, so he stayed behind in his old house. I don't often meet him. His room is on the second floor. He is a teacher in the history department. His main job is reading and writing, so he doesn't go downstairs very often.

My good friend's father is very tolerant of many of my young people's bad habits, such as getting up late and going to bed late, not being able to take the initiative to say hello, etc., and never says anything to me. Until one day when I was about to leave their house, I packed up my things and found a few old clothes that were not torn, but I didn’t want to wear them anymore, and felt it would be a pity to throw them away, so I gave them to a tailor’s family across the street when I went out.

Unexpectedly, when I came back from get out of class, my friend's father was waiting for me in the living room and asked me seriously, "Have you given old clothes to the tailor's house opposite?"

I was stunned and said yes. I have worn out those clothes and no longer want them. I gave it to them casually. I thought the tailor could use it even if it was cut and made into cloth.

A good friend’s father said that as soon as your aunt left home, she heard the tailor tell her that your family is really rich and you don’t want good foreign clothes. Children (the first time he called me this, I was scared.) They were sent to live across from my house when they were mixed with sand . Over the years, no matter who comes to my house, what they buy, or what garbage they take out, they all know who comes to my house. It will be reported to the police station. You live here with me, they have seen it for a long time, and you give them old clothes, you shouldn't do that!

I was frightened by the harsh and painful tone of his words, so I had to apologize to him again and again.

Later, when I moved out soon after, I actually took the trash with me.

My good friend's father was a top student in the Chinese Department of the university. I listened to him telling my classmates and me about Li Shangyin's "Light Rain Sends to the North". The artistic conception was fully expressed in just a few sentences. Unforgettable.

I have always felt very sorry for having bothered him in his home for so long and finally causing him such trouble. My best friend's father was the only one who said those harsh words to me. The painful expression on his face made people feel the pain of the world. It was a fierce method that made me understand and always remember that "mixing sand" is a malicious way. The method of alienating people is a painful thing that causes great harm to individuals.

To this day, looking back, I would say that this approach is anti-human.

#This is an experience that made me deeply feel the difficulty of freedom.