“Let a 1,000 flowers bloom. Then rip 999 of them out by the roots.” This is paraphrasing of Chairman Mao: "The policy of letting a hundred flowers bloom and a

“Let a 1,000 flowers bloom. Then rip 999 of them out by the roots.” This is paraphrasing of Chairman Mao: "The policy of letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend is designed to promote the flourishing of the arts and the progress of science" And the ripping out by roots part brings labor camps to mind: "After this brief period of liberalization, Mao abruptly changed course. The crackdown continued through 1957 as an Anti-Rightist Campaign against those who were critical of the regime and its ideology. Those targeted were publicly criticized and condemned to prison labor camps." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_Flowers_Campaign https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_Flowers_Campaign