| Sidney Rittenberg | |||||||||||||
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 Sidney Rittenberg in 2012 | |||||||||||||
| Chinese | 李敦白 | ||||||||||||
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Sidney Rittenberg (Chinese: 李敦白;pinyin:Lǐ Dūnbái; August 14, 1921 – August 24, 2019) was anAmerican journalist, scholar, and Chinese linguist who lived inChina from 1944 to 1980.[1] He worked closely withMao Zedong,Zhu De,Zhou Enlai, and other leaders of theChinese Communist Party (CCP) during theChinese Communist Revolution, and was with these central Communist leaders atYan'an.[2] Later, he was imprisoned insolitary confinement, twice.[3] In his book "The Man Who Stayed Behind", Rittenberg stated that he was the secondAmerican citizen to join the CCP, the first being the Lebanese-American DoctorMa Haide (born Shafick George Hatem.)
Rittenberg was born into aJewish family inCharleston, South Carolina and he lived there until his college studies.[4][5] He was the son of Muriel (Sluth) and Sidney Rittenberg,[1] who was president of the Charleston City Council. After attendingPorter Military Academy, he turned down a full scholarship toPrinceton University and instead attended theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored inphilosophy.[1] While attendingChapel Hill, he became a member of theDialectic Society and theUS Communist Party.[6] During his college years he was very active in advocating for social causes and organized protests and pickets.[7] He was drafted for the army, studied for a role as a linguist, and sent to China.[8] When he arrived in China, he was sent to bring a $26 check to the family of a girl who was killed by a drunken US soldier.[9] Despite the family's devastation, they gave Rittenberg $6 for his help.[citation needed] It was at that point that "something inside Sidney Rittenberg shifted."
After World War II ended, Rittenberg chose to stay in China and tried to aid the Chinese Communist Party as he had witnessed the injustices committed under the unpopular, US-backed Nationalist Party.[9] Rittenberg befriended the communist leader Mao Zedong in the Yan'an caves, which resulted in a lasting relationship with Mao until early days of the Cultural Revolution. He later worked for theXinhua News Agency andRadio Peking.[8]
Rittenberg was one of the English-language translators for the fourth volume of theSelected Works of Mao Zedong, along withFrank Coe,Solomon Adler,Michael Shapiro, andIsrael Epstein.[10]: 204
During his period in China, Rittenberg was twice imprisoned by the government under suspicion of spying for the American Government. His first imprisonment began in 1949 immediately before the formal surrender of Beijing to the Communists. Rittenberg said he was summoned to the capital and he went, expecting to play a role in promoting the Communist takeover to the rest of the world. In fact, Rittenberg was arrested and placed in solitary confinement, because Stalin had denounced him as a US spy. Rittenberg attributes his survival in solitary confinement to a poem byEdwin Markham:[11]
This first imprisonment lasted six years and resulted in his wife Wei Lin whom he had met in China divorcing him as she was told nothing about his disappearance.[9] Once he was released he returned to his work promoting the Communist Party
However in 1968, he was again imprisoned, this time for 10 years under the same suspicion of spying. His second Chinese wife, Wang Yulin, was also sent to a labor camp for three years due to her being association with the "American spy". He was released in 1977 after the Gang of Four was dismantled and at this point he decided to finally return to America with his wife and kids.[9]
On his release in 1955 and before his second imprisonment, Rittenberg remained a strong supporter of Mao and actively and enthusiastically supported theGreat Leap Forward. In a later interview he stated that:
"My loyalty to the ideals of Communism never wavered during those six years in solitary. If anything, it grew stronger. I was determined that I would not let my personal disaster affect my belief in what I thought was true and good."[12]
In 1957, he delivered a eulogy at the funeral ofManya Reiss.[10]: 203
He used his identity as an American-turned-communist in many speeches denouncing capitalism and imperialism and promoting Mao's policies. Later he was a supporter of theCultural Revolution and briefly associated with Mao's inner circle, leading a group ofrebels to take over the state broadcasting institution. On April 8, 1967, thePeople's Daily published a long article written by him.[13]
In the United States after his release, he used his extensive knowledge and contacts in China to advise corporate leaders on how to benefit from China's vast, growing economy. Still welcome in China, he took entrepreneurs on guided tours, introducing them to the country's movers and shakers.[14][15]
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