58 workers of the "Beijing Internal Combustion Engine Plant" complain to the Municipal Party Committee that the newly appointed mayor of Beijing was not really able to talk to workers (but only to selected team leaders) during a factory visit. They say he thus was shielded from "real problems" such as corruption...

Criticizing a dubious person who had shouted slogans against the former prime minister Zhou Enlai (who had died in January 1976) and against free expression at the Democracy Wall. Writers of big-character posters are compared to the Gang of Four. The person had also mentioned that he was not acting on his own, and that he was "mentally ill".

The dramatic experience for the author of this dazibao started in 1964: On April 18, during a general purge campaign, he was arrested together with two other youngsters (they were 15, 16 and 17 years old) and forced to confess to having formed a "counter-revolutionary cliqhe". He was sentenced to two years of "re-education by labor". But why so lenient, he asks, if he really were a "counter-revolutionary"? Now - 16 years later - he has come to Beijing to demand permission to return to the city. But nobody listens to his demand for a residence permit, because he had no one to pull strings. What should he do now?

A poster by well-known dissident Ren Wanding comments on the role of "secret police" in dealing with the so-called Tiananmen Incident of 1976. "Secret police", says Ren, is a sign of dictatorship, the more sophisticated a network of secret police becomes, the more difficult it will be to create "democracy and legality" (using a term coined by the famous "Li Yizhe" manifesto from Guangzhou).

Gong Nianzhou (龚念周) from the Academy of Chinese Opera (and publisher of an independent journal) is forwarding a letter he has received to the Ministry of Public Security and the "internal service" of the "New China News Agency" (so that higher cadres could also read it). The letter criticizes that plain-cloth policemen at the Democracy Wall were noting the licence plates of parked bicycles in order to identify readers and bystanders. But the people, the letter says, are not an enemy, authorities should rather protect them!

... also complains "secret police" is noting bicycle registration numbers. Somebody has also been pulled into a car and hauled away. His whereabouts remain unknown, but the car is still around.

Another one who notes bicycle plates and hands them to a "blue haired dog" (a very disrespectful term probably meaning a policeman wearing a blue coat)

The first poem grumbles that authorities still have not clearly disclosed all the facts on the 1976 Tiananmen Incident, including an unambiguous statement that there have been no casualties. The second poem wants Deng Xiaoping to rehabilitate the famous author Wu Han ("Hai Rui dismissed from Office") who has been the first victim of the Cultural Revolution. The third text also asks to rehabilitate political victims such as the former Minister of Defence Peng Dehuai. Another poem attacks the "Two Whatever" faction in the party ("uphold whatever policy decision Chairman Mao made, follow whatever instruction Chairman Mao gave"), targeting Mao's (personally chosen) successor Hua Guofeng.

Unfortunately the first page of this dazibao (and part of the headline) are missing. But the poster talks on the excessive and "un-Marxist" personality cult around Mao. But is is not a single person who could stage such a revolution: "It is the people who has written this history, the Chinese revolution is a result of the common effort of thousands and millions of people."

Fu Yumian, a 32 year old "poor peasant" from Henan Province complains about the inactivity of authorities. Her husband has beaten her, he has run away with another woman, but refuses to divorce. She has already written more than a hundred letters, has brought court charges eighty times, and contacted in person the authorities. Fu demands that her husband should be punished, he should pay alimony, and women should be protected from physical violence.

This dazibao seems to be written also by Fu Yumian, complaining about her unfaithful husband and his new mate. (It is not clear though which role the navy plays in that.)

... left on a copy of the journal "Forum April 5th" that has been published at the Democracy Wall. The large characters (they also seem to be written by the "poor peasant" Fu Yumian!) mean: "The People's Daily has no people, the Guangming [Light] Daily has only darkness, the Wenhui [Culture] Daily is a paper of dictatorship, they deceive the people and play games with it." The authorites had also secretly ordered to post office not to forward her letters any more, the had brought her to a psychiatric hospital and forced her to marry some other man...

Other commentaries deal with Xu Wenli's magazine "April 5th Forum": "We are hoping to see mor of your journals, as they really come from the people", "the Socialist revolution need more courage", "you are making an excellent publication!". Some people also add their contact addresses, one person comments: "The KGB will always find you, but this way your friends will also find you". Another commentator criticizes the "April 5th Forum": "Superficial opinions", you only criticize, but offer no solutions. Another one notes: "Whoever suppresses the movement, must be a Guomindang police or a fascist bandit."

A case of alleged torture that has led to death. This (partial) dazibao deals with the death of 21-year-old Su Jingqi in August 1977. His parents complain that he has been tortured and killed by trainees of the "Four Seasons Green" (Sijiqing) People's Commune (a model agricultural unit west of Beijing). Photos of the corpse are added to underline the accusations. The police, say the parents, have never responded to their inquiries, now the government should investigate and decide on the case ...

"Give me back my soul, my youth, progress and enlightenment" - criticizing Mao without mentioning his name (the author only writes "he"). "He" was responsible for the death of thousands, he led China into disaster, something certainly NOT "not worth mentioning".

An (amateur) poet complains that he has not been allowed to publish anything for twenty years. Yes, it has happen that he once quoted four lines from somebody else, and he was then punished for copyright infringement and illegally claiming royalties. But now he ask for being allowed to write again ...

The note scribbled below this text just complains that the offices put up to receive the large numbers of "petitioners", are not efficient and they put too little effort into following up all the grievances.

Most of the independent journals in Beijing were not only sold at the Democracy Wall. Usually one complete copy was also glued to the Wall for those readers who did not manage (or want) to buy one.