May 7th

English

Etymology

Named after Mao Zedong's directive of 7th May 1966 calling upon all people to study industry, agriculture and military affairs.

Noun

May 7th (uncountable)

1. Used attributively to designate various institutions in the People's Republic of China which combine education with manual labour with a view to helping people understand life as a peasant. [from 20th c.]
   • 1977, John Le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy, Folio Society, published 2010, page 239:

     This was the first leg of his labours. The second began with […] the names of such Shanghainese officials who, in consequence of criminal pro-Russian leanings, had been officially purged, humiliated or sent to a May 7th school to rediscover the virtues of peasant labour.

   • 1996, Zongli Tang, Bing Zuo, Maoism and Chinese Culture, page 399:

     The difference was that the May 7th Instruction excluded commerce from "the big school" that only included industry, agriculture, army, and education.