For the Maoist fanatics of the Red Guard, “political excellence” means political reliability; it means showing an unswerving loyalty to the Maoist cause at all times. The Red Guard Committee at Jiang's school clearly think that she falls into this category, because they have chosen her, along with other politically-reliable students, to represent the school at the forthcoming celebrations of the Chinese Communist Party's birthday.

Jiang has also been chosen to represent her class as a guide at a Class Education Exhibition designed to expose the class enemies' evil and remind everyone of the miseries of the old social order.

Jiang isn't at all happy about any of this. She doesn't think she comes up to the appropriate standards of what the Red Guards deem to be “political excellence.” For one thing, as she tells Teacher Zhang, her grandfather was a landlord, a hated member of the old social order that the Red Guard are determined to sweep away. But despite Jiang's obvious misgivings, Teacher Zhang insists that she is the right person for the job. As he points out to her, this is an important political assignment, and he wants Jiang to accept it and try to win honor for her class.

Jiang may not feel that she's up to the job, but her teacher does, and her school's Red Guard Committee does, and that's all that matters. If they say that she shows signs of political excellence, then she does and must somehow put aside her deep misgivings and repay the faith they've shown in her.