The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution^[1] in the People's Republic of China was a struggle for power within the Communist Party of China that manifested into wide-scale social, political, and economic violence and chaos, which grew to include large sections of Chinese society and eventually brought the entire country to the brink of civil war. The history of the People's Republic of China details the history of Mainland China since October 1, 1949, when after a near complete victory The history of the People's Republic of China details the history of Mainland China since October 1, 1949, when after a near complete victory See also History of China, History of the People's Republic of China Early 1950s Social revolution The People's Republic of China was founded on The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the The Hundred Flowers Campaign, also termed the Hundred Flowers Movement, ( is the period referring to a brief interlude in the People's Republic of China from The Anti-Rightist Movement ( of the People's Republic of China in the 1950s and early 1960s consisted of a series of campaigns to purge alleged "rightists" The Great Leap Forward ( of the People's Republic of China (PRC was an economic and social plan used from 1958 to 1960 which aimed to use China 's vast population The Great Chinese Famine ( officially referred to as the Three Years of Natural Disasters ( was the period in the People's Republic of China between 1958 and 1961 Lin Biao ( born as Lin Yurong ( December 5, 1907 ?[[September 13]] 1971) was a Chinese Communist military leader The Gang of Four ( was the name given to a leftist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist party officials The Tiananmen Incident ( Sìwǔ Tiān'ānmén shìjiàn, "April 5 Tian'anmen Incident" took place on April 5, 1976 at Tiananmen Square See also History of China, History of the People's Republic of China Power struggles after Mao's death The Chinese economic reform ( refers to the program of economic reforms called " Socialism with Chinese characteristics " in the People's Republic of The Sino–Vietnamese War, also known as the Third Indochina War, was a brief but bloody border war fought in 1979 between the People's Republic of China (PRC The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 culminating in the Tiananmen Square Massacre (referred to in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident, to avoid confusion with two See also History of China, History of the People's Republic of China Recovery in the 1990s Post-Tiananmen The Tiananmen Square protests " One country two systems " is an idea originally proposed by Deng Xiaoping during the early 1980s then Paramount Leader of the People's Republic Hong Kong began as a coastal Island geographically located in southern China. Macau is a Special Administrative Region (SAR of the People's Republic of China. There is also a specific Chinese reunification of 1928. Chinese reunification ( is a goal of Chinese nationalism that refers to See also History of China, History of the People's Republic of China "Fourth Generation" The Hu-Wen Administration Power transition Chinese civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River ( valley in the Neolithic era The history of Beijing or Peking can be traced back 3000 years when it was the capital of the ancient State of Yan There were cities in the vicinities of Beijing The history of Shanghai, spanning at least eight Dynasties in Chinese history, closely parallels the development of modern China. Mao Zedong ( 26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976) was a Chinese Military and political leader who led Deng Xiaoping ( 22 August 1904 19 February 1997) was a prominent Chinese Revolutionary, Politician, Pragmatist and Reformer Jiang Zemin ( born 17 August 1926 was the "core of the third generation " of Communist Party of China leaders serving as General Secretary of Hu Jintao ( born 21 December 1942 is currently the Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China, holding the titles of General Secretary of the Communist This article discusses the culture of the People's Republic of China. China has the second-largest economy in the world with a GDP of over $ 6 The geography of China stretches some 5026 kilometers across the East Asian landmass bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and The politics of the People's Republic of China take place in a framework of a single-party socialist republic. This article is about the education in the People's Republic of China. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES The Communist Party of China ( CPC) ( also known as the Chinese Communist Party ( CCP) is the founding and ruling political party of the A civil war is a War between a State and domestic political actors that are in control of some part of the territory claimed by the state

It was launched by Mao Zedong, the Chairman of the Communist Party of China, on May 16, 1966, officially as a campaign to rid China of its "liberal bourgeoisie" elements and to continue revolutionary class struggle. Mao Zedong ( 26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976) was a Chinese Military and political leader who led Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. Class struggle is the active expression of Class conflict looked at from any kind of socialist perspective It is widely recognized, however, as a method to regain control of the party after the disastrous Great Leap Forward led to a significant loss of Mao's power to rivals Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping, and would eventually descend into waves of power struggles between rival factions both nationally and locally. The Great Leap Forward ( of the People's Republic of China (PRC was an economic and social plan used from 1958 to 1960 which aimed to use China 's vast population Liu Shaoqi ( (24 November 1898 12 November 1969 was a Chinese revolutionary statesman and theorist Deng Xiaoping ( 22 August 1904 19 February 1997) was a prominent Chinese Revolutionary, Politician, Pragmatist and Reformer

Although Mao himself officially declared the Cultural Revolution to have ended in 1969, the term is today widely used to also include the period between 1969 and the arrest of the Gang of Four in 1976. The Gang of Four ( was the name given to a leftist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist party officials

Overview

Between 1966 and 1968, Mao incited his principal lieutenants, youth militia called the Red Guards, to overthrow Mao's perceived enemies and seize control of the state and party apparatus, replacing the Central Committee with the Cultural Revolution Committee, and local governments with revolutionary committees. Red Guards ( were a mass movement of civilians mostly students and other young people in the People's Republic of China, who were mobilized The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China ( Chinese: 中国共产党中央委员会 Pinyin: Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng Zhōngyāng Wěiyuánhuì formerly In the chaos and violence that ensued, many revolutionary elders, authors, artists, and religious figures were purged and killed, millions of people were persecuted, and as many as half a million people died. ^[2]

The official historical view of the Communist Party of China on the Cultural Revolution and Mao's role within it is incorporated in the 'Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party Since the Founding of the People's Republic of China' adopted on June 27, 1981. Events 1358 - Republic of Dubrovnik is founded 1709 - Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 In this document, it is stated that the "Chief responsibility for the grave 'Left' error of the 'Cultural Revolution,' an error comprehensive in magnitude and protracted in duration, does indeed lie with Comrade Mao Zedong" and that the Cultural Revolution was carried out "under the mistaken leadership of Mao Zedong, which was manipulated by the counterrevolutionary group of Lin Biao and Jiang Qing and brought serious disaster and turmoil to the Party and the Chinese people. Lin Biao ( born as Lin Yurong ( December 5, 1907 ?[[September 13]] 1971) was a Chinese Communist military leader Jiang Qing ( March 14, 1914 May 14, 1991) is the Pseudonym that was used by Chinese leader Mao Zedong 's last wife " This official view, which has since become the dominant framework for the Chinese historiography of the Cultural Revolution, separates the personal actions of Mao during the Cultural Revolution from his earlier heroism and it also separates Mao's personal mistakes from the correctness of the theory that he created.

Background

This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters. Mojibake is the happenstance of incorrect unreadable characters (garbage characters shown when Computer software fails to render a text correctly according to its associated A Chinese character, also known as a Han character ( is a Logogram used in writing Chinese (hanzi Japanese (

Social background

Prior to the Cultural Revolution, most of the intimidation tactics were already established from the earlier Yan'an Rectification Movement (延安整风运动). The Yan'an Rectification Movement ( Simplified Chinese: 整风运动 Traditional Chinese: 整風運動 Hanyu Pinyin: Zhěngfēng yùndòng) The political changes after the 1949 Communist takeover also resulted in sweeping social changes, particularly the labeling of much of the former ruling class and intelligentsia as rightists and "revisionists," "black elements" or "black gang elements". Their houses were confiscated, and any items that did not conform to Mao's values were smashed. Hardly any family with a problematic record against the system could escape the turmoil. ^[3]

In the initial preparation, the "Central Press and Broadcasting Bureau" was the driver in pushing all schools, army units, and public organizations at all levels to install public loudspeakers and radio receivers. The Central People's Broadcasting Station was the main instrument established as part of the "Politics on Demand" concept. China National Radio, or CNR (Chinese 中央人民广播电台 is the national Radio station of the People's Republic of China. By the 1960s, 70 million speakers would reach the rural population of 400 million. ^[4]

Great Leap Forward

Main article: Great Leap Forward

In 1957, after China's first Five-Year Plan, Mao Zedong called for an increase in the speed of the growth of "actual socialism" in China (as opposed to "dictatorial socialism"). The Great Leap Forward ( of the People's Republic of China (PRC was an economic and social plan used from 1958 to 1960 which aimed to use China 's vast population The Five-Year Plans of China were a series of Economic development initiatives Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution To accomplish this goal, Mao began the Great Leap Forward, establishing special communes (Cultural nexus of power) in the countryside through the usage of collective labor and mass mobilization. The people's commune ( in the People's Republic of China, were formerly the highest of three administrative levels in rural areas during the period of 1958 to 1982-85 until Mass mobilization (also known as social mobilization or popular mobilization) refers to Mobilization of Civilian Population as part The Great Leap Forward was intended to increase the production of steel and to raise agricultural production to twice 1957 levels. Steel is an Alloy consisting mostly of Iron, with a Carbon content between 0 Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture ^[5]

However, industries went into turmoil because peasants were producing too much low quality steel while other areas were neglected. Furthermore, the peasantry, as agriculturalists, were poorly equipped and ill-trained to produce steel, partially relying on such mechanisms as backyard furnaces to achieve production goals, which had been mandated by the local cadres. Backyard steel furnaces were used by the people of China during the Great Leap Forward (1958-62 when Mao Zedong stated that he wanted to double Meanwhile, farming implements like rakes were melted down for steel, impeding agricultural production. This led to a decline in the production of most goods other than steel. To make matters worse, in order to avoid punishment, local authorities frequently reported grossly unrealistic production numbers, which hid the problem for years, intensifying it. Having barely recovered from decades of war, the Chinese economy was again in shambles. China has the second-largest economy in the world with a GDP of over $ 6 Steel production did show significant growth, to over 14 million tons of steel a year, from the previous 5. 2 million. The original goal was to produce an overly optimistic and, in hindsight, unrealistic 30 million tons of steel, though that was later revised down to twenty million. However, much of the steel produced was impure and useless. In the meantime, chaos in the collectives and unfortunate climatic conditions resulted in widespread famine, while Mao continued to export grain to "save face" with the outside world. A famine is a widespread shortage of food that may apply to any Faunal species which phenomenon is usually accompanied by regional Malnutrition, Starvation According to various sources,^[6] the death toll due to famine may have been as high as 20 to 30 million.

In the 1959 Lushan meeting of the Central Committee （庐山会议）, Military General Peng Dehuai criticized Mao's policies on the Great Leap in a private letter. Peng Dehuai ( ( October 24, 1898 - November 29 1974) was a prominent military leader of the Communist Party of China, and Peng wrote that the Great Leap was plagued by mismanagement and "petty-bourgeois fanaticism". Although Mao made repeated self-criticisms in speeches for the Great Leap Forward and called for the dismantling of the communes in 1959, he insisted that the Great Leap was 70% correct overall. Also in 1959, Mao resigned as chairman of the PRC, and the government was then run by other leaders such as the new chairman Liu Shaoqi, Premier Zhou Enlai and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) general secretary Deng Xiaoping. Liu Shaoqi ( (24 November 1898 12 November 1969 was a Chinese revolutionary statesman and theorist Zhou Enlai ( (5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976 was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from 1949 until his death in January 1976 Deng Xiaoping ( 22 August 1904 19 February 1997) was a prominent Chinese Revolutionary, Politician, Pragmatist and Reformer Mao still remained chairman of the CCP. Politically, Mao formed an alliance with Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping, in which he granted them day-to-day control over the country, in return for framing Peng and accusing him of being a "right opportunist".

Among Liu's and Deng's reforms were a partial retreat from collectivism, seen as more pragmatic and more effective. Liu Shaoqi declared famously, "buying is better than manufacturing, and renting is better than buying", opening a new economic frontier in China that contradicted Mao's self-sufficiency ideals. ^[7]

Increasing conflict between Mao Zedong and Liu Shaoqi

In China, the three years beginning with 1959 were known as the Three Years of Natural Disasters （三年自然灾害). The Great Chinese Famine ( officially referred to as the Three Years of Natural Disasters ( was the period in the People's Republic of China between 1958 and 1961 Food was in desperate shortage, and production fell dramatically. By the end of the Three Years of Natural Disasters, which was the direct result of the failed Great Leap Forward campaign, an estimated 20 million people had died from widespread famine. The Great Leap Forward ( of the People's Republic of China (PRC was an economic and social plan used from 1958 to 1960 which aimed to use China 's vast population A famine is a widespread shortage of food that may apply to any Faunal species which phenomenon is usually accompanied by regional Malnutrition, Starvation

Liu Shaoqi decided to end many Leap policies, such as rural communes, and to restore the economic policies used before the Great Leap Forward.

Because of the success of his economic reforms, Liu had won prestige in the eyes of many party members both in the central government and among the masses. Together with Deng Xiaoping, Liu began planning to gradually retire Mao from any real power, and to turn him into a figurehead. To restore his political base, and to eliminate his opposition, Mao initiated the Socialist Education Movement, in 1963. The Socialist Education Movement ( Simplified Chinese: 社会主义教育运动 Traditional Chinese: 社會主義教育運動 Pinyin: Shèhuìzhǔyì Jiàoyù

Mao later admitted to some general mistakes, while strongly defending the Great Leap Forward in concept. One great irony of the Socialist Education Movement is that it called for grassroots action, yet was directed by Mao himself. This movement, aimed primarily at schoolchildren, did not have any immediate effect on Chinese politics, but it did influence a generation of youths, from whom Mao could draw support in the future.

In 1963, Mao began attacking Liu Shaoqi openly, stating that the idealism of "the struggle of the classes" must always be fully understood and applied; yearly, monthly, and daily. Liu Shaoqi ( (24 November 1898 12 November 1969 was a Chinese revolutionary statesman and theorist By 1964, the Socialist Education Movement had become the new "Four Cleanups Movement", with the stated goal of the cleansing of politics, economics, ideas, and organization. The Socialist Education Movement ( Simplified Chinese: 社会主义教育运动 Traditional Chinese: 社會主義教育運動 Pinyin: Shèhuìzhǔyì Jiàoyù The Movement was directed politically against Liu.

Immediate influences

Chinese poster saying: "Smash the old world / Establish a new world. " Classical example of the Red art from the early Cultural Revolution. A worker (or possibly Red Guard) crushes the crucifix, Buddha and classical Chinese texts with his hammer; 1967

In late 1959, historian and Beijing Deputy Mayor Wu Han published the first version of a historical drama entitled "Hai Rui Dismissed from Office" (pinyin: Hai Rui Ba Guan, Chinese: 《海瑞罢官》). See also History An historian is an individual who studies and writes about History, and is regarded as an Authority on it Deputy mayor is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official in many local governments Wu Han ( Chinese: 吳晗 1909 1969 was a party official of the Communist Party of China (CPC in the People's Republic of China (PRC. Hai Rui Dismissed from Office (海瑞罢官 is a theatre play famous for its involvement in Chinese politics during the Cultural Revolution. In the play, a virtuous official (Hai Rui) was dismissed by a corrupt emperor!

The play initially received praise from Mao. See also Hai Rui (basketball Hai Rui ( Wade-Giles: Hai Jui Chinese: 海瑞 ( 23 January 1514 &ndash In 1965, Mao Zedong's wife Jiang Qing and her protégé Yao Wenyuan—who at the time was a little-known editor of a prominent newspaper in Shanghai—published an article criticising the play. Jiang Qing ( March 14, 1914 May 14, 1991) is the Pseudonym that was used by Chinese leader Mao Zedong 's last wife Yao Wenyuan ( (1931 &ndash December 23, 2005) was a Chinese literary critic and politician and a member of the " Gang of Four " during Shanghai ( 上[[wikt 海|海]] is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest urban areas in the world with over 20 million They labeled it a "poisonous weed" 毒草 dúcăo）and an attack on Mao, using the allegory of Mao Zedong as the corrupt emperor and Peng Dehuai as the virtuous official. Peng Dehuai ( ( October 24, 1898 - November 29 1974) was a prominent military leader of the Communist Party of China, and

The Shanghai newspaper article received much publicity nationwide, with many other prominent newspapers asking for publication rights. Beijing Mayor Péng Zhēn, a supporter of Wu Han, established a committee studying the recent publication and emphasizing that the criticism had gone too far. This is a Chinese name; the Family name is Peng. Peng Zhen ( ( October 12, 1902 &ndash On February 12, 1966, this committee, called the "Group of Five in Charge of the Cultural Revolution," issued an "Outline Report on the Current Academic Discussion", which later became known as the "February Outline". Events 1429 - English Forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army besieging Orleans from attack by the Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. In this document the group emphasized that the dispute over Hai Rui Dismissed From Office was academic rather than political.

In May, 1966, Jiang Qing and Yao Wenyuan once again published various articles with content denouncing both Wu Han and Peng Zhen. On May 16, following Mao's lead, the Politburo issued a formal notice representing figuratively the beginning of the Cultural Revolution. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. In this document, titled "Notification from the Central Committee of Communist Party of China," Peng Zhen was sharply criticized, and the "Group of Five" was disbanded. "Completely penetrated with double-dealing, the thesis furiously attacked the Great cultural revolution, personally developed and managed by comrade Mao Zedong, the instructions of comrade Mao Zedong concerning criticism of Wu Han," stated the "Notification. " One year later, on May 18, 1967 this "Notification" was called "a great historical document developed under the direct management of our great leader comrade Mao Zedong" in the editorial section of People's Daily. Events 1152 - Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine. Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. The People's Daily ( a daily Newspaper, is the organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, published worldwide with a circulation

Chinese poster showing Jiang Qing, saying: "Let the new socialistic performing arts occupy every stage. ", 1967

In a later meeting of the Politburo in 1966, the new Cultural Revolution Group (CRG) （文革小组）was formed. The Politburo of the Communist Party of China ( Chinese: 中国共产党中央政治局 Pinyin: Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng Zhōngyāng Zhèngzhìjú (also "Political The Cultural Revolution Group ( was formed in May 1966 and consisted of several leaders during the Cultural Revolution, including Jiang Qing, Kang Sheng On May 18, Lin Biao said in a speech that "Chairman Mao is a genius, everything the Chairman says is truly great; one of the Chairman's words will override the meaning of tens of thousands of ours. Events 1152 - Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine. " Thus started the first phase of Mao's cult of personality led by Jiang Qing, Lin Biao, and others. A cult of personality or personality cult arises when a country's leader uses Mass media to create a heroic public image through unquestioning flattery and praise At this time, Jiang and Lin had already seized some actual power. On May 25, a young teacher of philosophy at Peking University, Nie Yuanzi, wrote a dazibao （大字报）("big-character poster") where the rector of the university and other professors were labeled "black anti-Party gangsters". Events 1085 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo Spain back from the Moors. Peking University ( of Beijing, colloquially known in Chinese as Beida (北大 Běidà) is the first formally established university and the first Big-character posters ( Traditional Chinese 大字報 Simplified Chinese 大字报 Pinyin dàzìbào literally "big-character journal" Some days later, Mao Zedong ordered the text of this big-character poster to be broadcast nationwide and called it "the first Marxist dazibao in China. " On May 29, 1966, at the Secondary School attached to Tsinghua University, the first organization of Red Guards was formed. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian defeats the Sassanid army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. Tsinghua University ( THU;) is a University in Beijing, People's Republic of China. Red Guards ( were a mass movement of civilians mostly students and other young people in the People's Republic of China, who were mobilized It was aimed at punishing and neutralizing both intellectuals and Mao's political enemies.

On June 1, 1966, the People's Daily, the official newspaper of the CCP, stated that all "imperialists", "people with affiliations with imperialists", "imperialistic intellectuals", et al. Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. The People's Daily ( a daily Newspaper, is the organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, published worldwide with a circulation , must be purged. In History and Political science, to purge is to remove people considered by the group in power to be "undesirable" from a Government, Political Soon a movement began, that was aimed at purging university presidents and other prominent intellectuals. On July 28, 1966, representatives of the Red Guards wrote a formal letter to Mao, stating that mass purges, and all such-related social and political phenomena were justified and right. Events 1540 - Thomas Cromwell is executed at the order of Henry VIII of England on charges of Treason. Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. Mao responded with his full support in an article entitled "Bombard the Headquarters", thus began the Cultural Revolution. Bombard The Headquarters – My First Big-Character Poster (炮打司令部——我的一张大字报 was a short comment written by Mao Zedong on August 5 ^[5]

Beginning

1966

On August 8, 1966, the Central Committee of the CCP passed its "Decision Concerning the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution" (also known as "the 16 Points"). Events 1220 - Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula. Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ^[8] This decision defined the GPCR as "a great revolution that touches people to their very souls and constitutes a new stage in the development of the socialist revolution in our country, a deeper and more extensive stage":

The decision thus took the already existing student movement and elevated it to the level of a nationwide mass campaign, calling on not only students but also "the masses of the workers, peasants, soldiers, revolutionary intellectuals, and revolutionary cadres" to carry out the task of "transforming the superstructure" by writing big-character posters and holding "great debates. " One of the main focuses of the Cultural Revolution was the abolishment of the Four Olds: Old Customs, Old Culture, Old Habits, and Old Ideas. The Four Olds or the Four Old Things ( were Old Customs Old Culture Old Habits and Old Ideas The decision granted people the most extensive freedom of speech the People's Republic has ever seen, but this was a freedom severely determined by the Maoist ideological climate and, ultimately, by the People's Liberation Army and Mao's authority over the Army, as points 15 and 16 already made clear. The freedoms granted in the 16 Points were later written into the PRC constitution as "the four great rights (四大自由)" of "great democracy (大民主)": the right to speak out freely, to air one's views fully, to write big-character posters, and to hold great debates (大鸣、大放、大字报、大辩论 - the first two are basically synonyms). (In other contexts the second was sometimes replaced by 大串联 - the right to "link up," meaning for students to cut class and travel across the country to meet other young activists and propagate Mao Zedong Thought. ) These freedoms were supplemented by the right to strike, although this right was severely attenuated by the Army's entrance onto the stage of civilian mass politics in February 1967. All of these rights were deleted from the constitution after Deng's government suppressed the Democracy Wall movement in 1979. In China The Democracy Wall (西单民主墙 was a long brick wall on Xidan Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, which became the focus for

On August 16, 1966, millions of Red Guards from all over the country gathered in Beijing for a peek at the Chairman. Events 1384 - The Hongwu Emperor of Ming China, Emperor Dong hears a case of a couple who tore paper money bills while fighting Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. On top of the Tiananmen Square gate, Mao and Lin Biao made frequent appearances to approximately 11 million Red Guards, receiving cheers each time. Tiananmen Square ( is the large Plaza near the center of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen (literally Gate of Heavenly Peace Lin Biao ( born as Lin Yurong ( December 5, 1907 ?[[September 13]] 1971) was a Chinese Communist military leader Red Guards ( were a mass movement of civilians mostly students and other young people in the People's Republic of China, who were mobilized Mao praised their actions in the recent campaigns to develop socialism and democracy.

During the Destruction of Four Olds campaign, religious affairs of all types were persecuted and discouraged by the Red Guards. The Four Olds or the Four Old Things ( were Old Customs Old Culture Old Habits and Old Ideas Many religious buildings such as temples, churches, mosques, monasteries and cemeteries were closed down and sometimes looted and destroyed. A temple (from the Latin word Templum) is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities such as prayer and sacrifice or analogous rites A church building is a Building or Structure whose primary purpose is to facilitate the meeting of a church. A "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller privately owned mosque and the larger This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. For the life inside monasteries and its historical roots see Monasticism. A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. ^[9] The most gruesome aspects of the campaign were the torture and killing of innocent people and the suicides that were the final options of many who suffered beatings and humiliation. In August and September, there were 1,772 people murdered in Beijing alone. In Shanghai in September there were 704 suicides and 534 deaths related to the Cultural Revolution. In Wuhan during this time there were 62 suicides and 32 murders. ^[10] The authorities were discouraged from stopping the violence of the Red Guards. Said Xie Fuzhi, national police chief: "If people are beaten to death . Xie Fuzhi ( Chinese: 谢富治 Pinyin: Xiè Fùzhì Wade-Giles: Hsieh Fu-chih was born in 1909 in Huang’an County Hubei and died in Beijing . . its none of our business. If you detain those who beat people to death . . . you will be making a big mistake. "^[11] Mao himself had no scruples about the taking of human life, and went so far as to suggest that the sign of a true revolutionary was his desire to kill: "This man Hitler was even more ferocious. Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately The more ferocious the better, don't you think? The more people you kill, the more revolutionary you are. "^[12]

For two years, until July 1968 (and in some places for much longer), student activists such as the Red Guards expanded their areas of authority, and accelerated their efforts at socialist reconstruction. They began by passing out leaflets explaining their actions to develop and strengthen socialism, and posting the names of suspected "counter-revolutionaries" on bulletin boards. They assembled in large groups, held "great debates," and wrote educational plays. They held public meetings to criticize and solicit self-criticisms from suspected "counter-revolutionaries. " Although the 16 Points and other pronouncements of the central Maoist leaders forbade "physical struggle (武斗)" in favor of "verbal struggle" (文斗), these struggle sessions often led to physical violence. The struggle session ( Simplified Chinese: 斗争会 Traditional Chinese: 鬥爭會 Pinyin: dòuzhēnghuì) was a type of Kangaroo Initially verbal struggles among activist groups became even more violent, especially when activists began to seize weapons from the Army in 1967. The central Maoist leaders limited their intervention in activist violence to verbal criticism, sometimes even appearing to encourage "physical struggle," and only after the weapons seizures did they begin to suppress the mass movement.

Liu Shaoqi was sent to a detention camp, where he later died in 1969. Liu Shaoqi ( (24 November 1898 12 November 1969 was a Chinese revolutionary statesman and theorist Deng Xiaoping, who was himself sent away for a period of re-education three times, was eventually sent to work in an engine factory, until he was brought back years later by Zhou Enlai. Deng Xiaoping ( 22 August 1904 19 February 1997) was a prominent Chinese Revolutionary, Politician, Pragmatist and Reformer A factory (previously manufactory) or manufacturing plant is an industrial Building where workers manufacture goods Zhou Enlai ( (5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976 was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from 1949 until his death in January 1976 But most of those accused were not so lucky, and many of them never returned.

The work of the Red Guards was praised by Mao Zedong. On August 22, 1966, Mao issued a public notice, which stopped "all police intervention in Red Guard tactics and actions. Events 392 - Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor. Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. Police are agents or agencies usually of the executive, empowered to enforce the law and to effect public and social order through the legitimatized use of force A tactic is a conceptual action used by a military unit of no larger than a division to implement a specific mission and achieve a specific objective or to advance toward a " Those in the police force who dared to defy this notice, were labeled "counter-revolutionaries. "

On September 5, 1966, yet another notice was issued, encouraging all Red Guards to come to Beijing over a stretch of time. Events 1590 - Alexander Farnese 's army forces Henry IV of France to raise the siege of Paris. Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. All fees, including accommodation and transportation, were to be paid by the government. On October 10, 1966, Mao's ally, General Lin Biao, publicly criticized Liu and Deng as "capitalist roaders" and "threats". Events 680 - Battle of Karbala: Shia Imam Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is decapitated Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. Later, Peng Dehuai was brought to Beijing to be publicly displayed and ridiculed. Peng Dehuai ( ( October 24, 1898 - November 29 1974) was a prominent military leader of the Communist Party of China, and

1967

On January 3, 1967, Lin Biao and Jiang Qing manipulated the media and local cadres to create the so-called "January Storm", in which many prominent Shanghai municipal government leaders were heavily criticized and purged. Lin Biao ( born as Lin Yurong ( December 5, 1907 ?[[September 13]] 1971) was a Chinese Communist military leader Jiang Qing ( March 14, 1914 May 14, 1991) is the Pseudonym that was used by Chinese leader Mao Zedong 's last wife ^[13] This paved the way for Wang Hongwen to hold real power in the city and in the city's CCP power apparatus as the leader of the Municipal Revolutionary Committee. The Municipal government was defunct. In Beijing, Liu and Deng were once again the targets of criticism, but others, who were not as engaged in the CCP criticism sessions, like Chen Boda and Kang Sheng, pointed at the wrongdoings of the Vice Premier, Tao Zhu. Thus started a political struggle among central government officials and local party cadres, who seized the Cultural Revolution as an opportunity to accuse rivals of "counter-revolutionary activity" as the paranoia spread.

On January 8, Mao praised these actions through the People's Daily, urging all local governmental leaders to rise in self-criticism, or the criticism and purging of others. The People's Daily ( a daily Newspaper, is the organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, published worldwide with a circulation This started the massive power struggles which took the form of purge after purge among local governments, some of which stopped functioning altogether. Involvement in some sort of "revolutionary" activity was the only way to avoid being purged, but it was no guarantee.

In February, Jiang Qing and Lin Biao, with permission from Mao, insisted that the "class struggles" be extended to the military. Many prominent generals of the People's Liberation Army who were instrumental in the founding of the PRC voiced their great concern and opposition to the "mistake of the Cultural Revolution". Former Foreign Minister Chen Yi, angered at a Politburo meeting, said that the new factions were going to completely destroy the military, and in turn the party. Other generals, including Nie Rongzhen, He Long, and Xu Xiangqian expressed their extreme discontent. They were subsequently denounced on national media, controlled by Zhang Chunqiao and Yao Wenyuan, as the "February Counter-current forces". They were all eventually purged by Red Guards. At the same time, many large and prominent Red Guard organizations rose in protest against other Red Guard organizations who ran dissimilar revolutionary messages, further complicating the situation and exacerbating the chaos. This led to a notice to stop all unhealthy activity within the Red Guards from Jiang Qing. On April 6, Liu Shaoqi was openly and widely denounced by a Zhongnanhai faction whose members included Jiang Qing and Kang Sheng, and ultimately, Mao himself. This was followed by a protest and mass demonstrations, most notably in Wuhan on July 20, where Jiang openly denounced any "counter-revolutionary activity"; she later personally flew to Wuhan to criticize Chen Zaidao, the general in charge of the Wuhan area.

On July 22, Jiang Qing directed the Red Guards to replace the People's Liberation Army if necessary, and thereby to render the existing forces powerless. After the initial praise by Jiang Qing, the Red Guards began to steal and loot from barracks and other army buildings. This activity, which could not be stopped by army generals, continued until the autumn of 1968.

1968

In the spring of 1968, a massive campaign began aimed at promoting the already-adored Mao Zedong to god-like status. On July 27, 1968, the Red Guards' power over the army was officially ended and the central government sent in units to protect many areas that remained targets for the Red Guards. Events 1214 - Battle of Bouvines: In France, Philip II of France defeats John of England. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Mao had supported and promoted the idea by allowing one of his "Highest Directions" to be heard by the masses. A year later, the Red Guard factions were dismantled entirely; Mao feared that the chaos they caused—and could still cause—might harm the very foundation of the Communist Party of China. The Communist Party of China ( CPC) ( also known as the Chinese Communist Party ( CCP) is the founding and ruling political party of the In any case, their purpose had been largely fulfilled, and Mao had largely consolidated his political power. In early October, Mao began a campaign to purge officials disloyal to him. They were sent to the countryside to work in labor camps. In the same month, at the 12th Plenum of the 8th Party Congress, Liu Shaoqi was "forever expelled from the party", and Lin Biao was made the Party's Vice-Chairman, Mao's "comrade-in-arms" and "designated successor", his status and fame in the country was second only to Mao. ^[14]

In December 1968, Mao began the "Down to the Countryside Movement". The Down to the Countryside Movement (literally "Up to the mountains and down to the villages" was a policy instituted in the People's Republic of China in the During this movement, which lasted for the next decade, young intellectuals living in cities were ordered to go to the countryside. The term "intellectuals" was actually used in the broadest sense to refer to recently graduated middle school students. In the late 1970s, these "young intellectuals" were finally allowed to return to their home cities. This movement was in part a means of moving Red Guards from the cities to the countryside, where they would cause less social disruption.

Time dominated by Lin Biao

Main article: Lin Biao

An anti-Liu Shaoqi poster

Lin Biao, Mao's chosen successor, became the most prominent figure during the Cultural Revolution following 1968. Lin Biao ( born as Lin Yurong ( December 5, 1907 ?[[September 13]] 1971) was a Chinese Communist military leader Liu Shaoqi ( (24 November 1898 12 November 1969 was a Chinese revolutionary statesman and theorist Lin Biao ( born as Lin Yurong ( December 5, 1907 ?[[September 13]] 1971) was a Chinese Communist military leader In September 1971 China (and the world) was shocked when a plane in which he was believed to be on board crashed in Mongolia, following what seemed to be a series of assassination attempts on Mao's life. It is impossible to examine the events related to Lin Biao from 1968-1971 with cogency and accuracy because many events remain unknown. Lin's years in power, and his disputed death have been of interest to historians worldwide, who have never been able to come to a conclusion on the issue.

Transition of power in the party

On April 1, 1969, at the CCP's Ninth Congress, Lin was the big winner, officially becoming China's second-in-charge, and also significant military influence that was second to none. Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The National Congress of the Communist Party of China ( is a Party congress that is held about once every five years Lin's biggest political rival, Liu Shaoqi, had been purged and Zhou Enlai's power was gradually fading. Liu Shaoqi ( (24 November 1898 12 November 1969 was a Chinese revolutionary statesman and theorist Zhou Enlai ( (5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976 was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from 1949 until his death in January 1976

The Ninth Congress began with Lin Biao delivering a Political Report, which was critical of Liu and other "counter-revolutionaries" while constantly quoting Mao's Little Red Book. Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong ( better known in the West as The Little Red Book, was published by the Government of the The second thing on the agenda was the new party constitution, which was modified to officially designate Lin as Mao's successor. Henceforth, at all occasions, Mao's name was to be linked with Lin's, to be referred to as "Chairman Mao and Vice-Chairman Lin". Thirdly, a new Politburo was elected with Mao Zedong, Lin Biao, Chen Boda, Zhou Enlai, and Kang Sheng being the five new members of the Politburo Standing Committee. The Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (PSC, abbreviated) is a committee whose membership varies between 5 and 9 people usually men and includes This new Politburo consisted mostly of those who had arisen as a result of the Cultural Revolution, with Zhou barely keeping his status, having dropped in rank to fourth among the five.

Lin's attempts at expanding his power base

After being confirmed as Mao's successor, Lin Biao focused on the restoration of the position of State President, which had been abolished by Mao due to Liu Shaoqi's dismissal from power. The President of the People's Republic of China ( literally Chairman of the Chinese People's Republic or abbreviated Guójiā Zhǔxí 国家主席 literally State Chairman Lin's aim was to become Vice-President, with Mao holding the position of State President.

On August 23, 1970, the 2nd Plenum of the CCP's Ninth Congress was once again held in Lushan. Events 79 - Mount Vesuvius begins stirring on the feast day of Vulcan the Roman god of fire Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Mount Lu ( also known as Mount Lushan) is a mountain in the People's Republic of China, situated south of the city of Jiujiang in Jiangxi Province Chen Boda was the first to speak, widely praising Mao and boasting of Mao's status, with the unstated intention of raising his own. Chen Boda ( was born 1904 in Hui'an ( Fujian province, China) and died on 20 September 1989 in Beijing. At the same time, Chen requested the restoration of the position of State President. Mao was deeply critical of Chen's speech and removed him from the Politburo Standing Committee. This was the beginning of a series of criticism sessions across the nation for people who used "deceit" for gains, who were called "Liu Shaoqi's representatives for Marxism and political liars". Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.

Chen's removal from the Standing Committee was also seen as a warning to Lin Biao. After the Ninth Congress, Lin had continuously requested promotions within the party and the Central Government, leading Mao to suspect him of wanting supreme power and even of intending to oust Mao himself. Chen's speech added to Mao's apprehensions. If Lin were to become Vice-President, he would legally have supreme power after the President's death — presenting a clear danger to Mao's safety.

Lin's attempted military coup

Mao's refusal to let Lin gain more prominence within the party and the government deeply angered Lin. Moreover, his power base was shrinking day by day within the Party apparatus; Lin decided to use the military power still at his disposal to oust Mao Zedong in a military coup. Soon afterwards, Lin and his son Lin Liguo and other conspirators created a coup apparatus in Shanghai aimed solely at ousting Mao from power by the use of force. Lin Liguo ( 1945 - September 13, 1971 was the son of the Chinese Communist military leader Lin Biao and the person in charge of Project 571 Outline, a In one known document, Lin stated in Shanghai that "A new power struggle has surged upon us, if indeed we could not take control of revolutionary activity, then these control powers will fall upon someone else. "

Lin's plan consisted mainly of aerial bombardments and the widespread use of the Air Force. Were the plan to succeed, Lin could successfully arrest all of his political rivals and gain the supreme power that he wanted. But if it were to fail, he would face great and dire consequences.

Assassination attempts were made against Mao in Shanghai, from September 8 to September 10, 1971. Shanghai ( 上[[wikt 海|海]] is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest urban areas in the world with over 20 million Events 70 - Roman forces under Titus sack Jerusalem. 1264 - The Statute of Kalisz Events 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul meet in the Council of Agde. Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. It was learned that before these attacks upon Mao there was initial knowledge of Lin's activities on the part of local police, who stated that Lin Biao had been coordinating a huge political plot, and Lin's loyal backers were receiving special training in the military. A military is an Organization authorized by its Nation to use force usually including use of Weapons in defending its Country (or by attacking

From these events onward came continuous allegations and reports of Mao being attacked. One of these reports suggested that en route to Beijing in his private train, Mao was physically attacked; another alleged that Lin had bombed a bridge that Mao was to cross to reach Beijing, which Mao avoided because intelligence reports caused him to change routes. In those nervous days, guards were placed every 10–20 meters on the railway tracks of Mao's route to prevent attempts at assassination. AssassiNation is the sixth album by Krisiun, released in 2006 on Century Media.

Although some reports conflicted, it is known that after September 11 of the same year Lin never appeared in public again, nor did his backers, most of whom attempted to escape to Hong Kong. Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders Most failed to do so, and around twenty army generals were arrested.

It was also learned that on September 13, 1971, Lin Biao and his family tried to fly to the Soviet Union. Events 509 BC - The Temple of Jupiter on Rome 's Capitoline Hill is dedicated on the ides of September Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 En route, Lin's plane crashed in Mongolia, killing all on board. Mongolia (mɒŋˈɡoʊliə, literally Mongol country/nation,) is a Landlocked Country in East On the same day, the Politburo met in an emergency session to discuss matters pertaining to Lin Biao. Only on September 30 was Lin's death confirmed in Beijing, which led to the cancellation of the National Day celebration events the following day. Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the The National Day is a designated date on which celebrations mark the Nationhood of a Nation or non-sovereign Country.

The exact cause of the plane crash remains a mystery. It is widely believed that Lin's plane ran out of fuel or that there was a sudden engine failure. There was also speculation that the plane was shot down by the Chinese. It could also have been Soviet forces, who later took possession of the bodies of those on board. Regardless, Lin's attempted coup had failed, leading to the complete destruction of his image in the CCP and China.

Years dominated by the "Gang of Four"

Main article: Gang of Four

"Criticize Lin Biao, Criticize Confucius" Campaign

Main article: Criticize Lin, Criticize Confucius

Mao Zedong was busy trying to find a new successor. The Gang of Four ( was the name given to a leftist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist party officials The Criticize Lin (Biao Criticize Confucius Campaign ( was a political campaign started by Mao Zedong 's third wife Jiang Qing, which lasted from 1973 In September 1972, Shanghainese Wang Hongwen was transferred to work in Beijing for the Central Government, becoming the Party Vice-Chairman in the following year. Wang Hongwen ( Chinese: 王洪文 Pinyin Wáng Hóngwén Wade-Giles: Wang Hung-wen (1936&ndash August 3, 1992) was the youngest At the same time, under the influence of Premier Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping was transferred back to Beijing. Mao had been severely shaken by the Lin Biao plot and had to turn to Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping again.

In late 1973, a campaign was begun by Jiang Qing and several backers, including Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan, and Wang Hongwen (later dubbed as the Gang of Four): the Pi-Lin Pi-Kong ("Criticize Lin (Biao), Criticize Confucius)" campaign. Zhang Chunqiao ( (1917&ndash April 21, 2005) was a member of the Gang of Four. Yao Wenyuan ( (1931 &ndash December 23, 2005) was a Chinese literary critic and politician and a member of the " Gang of Four " during Wang Hongwen ( Chinese: 王洪文 Pinyin Wáng Hóngwén Wade-Giles: Wang Hung-wen (1936&ndash August 3, 1992) was the youngest The Gang of Four ( was the name given to a leftist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist party officials The Criticize Lin (Biao Criticize Confucius Campaign ( was a political campaign started by Mao Zedong 's third wife Jiang Qing, which lasted from 1973 This widely publicised campaign was mainly aimed at Premier Zhou Enlai, whose position the Gang of Four were seeking to weaken. Jiang Qing and her supporters identified Zhou as the main political threat to their position in the post-Mao succession. Just as during the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, the political battle was acted out through historical allegory, and although Zhou Enlai's name was never mentioned during this campaign, the Premier's historical namesake, the Duke of Zhou, was a frequent target. An allegory (from αλλος allos "other" and el αγορευειν agoreuein "to speak in public" is a figurative mode of representation God of Dreams Duke of Zhou is also known as the 'God of Dreams' But the public was generally weary of useless or devastating campaigns and movements and lent little support for this one. The campaign failed to achieve its goals.

1976

On January 8, Zhou Enlai died of bladder cancer. Events 871 - Battle of Ashdown - Ethelred of Wessex defeats a Danish invasion army Zhou Enlai ( (5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976 was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from 1949 until his death in January 1976 In Anatomy, the urinary bladder is a hollow muscular, and distensible (or elastic organ that sits on the Pelvic floor in Mammals It is the Cancer (medical term Malignant Neoplasm) is a class of Diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled The next day, Beijing's Monument to the People's Heroes began filling up with wreaths expressing the people's mourning for the Premier. The Monument to the People's Heroes ( Beijing, is a ten-story Obelisk that was erected as a national monument of the People's Republic of China. A wreath is a ring made of Flowers leaves and sometimes Fruits that can be used as an ornament hanging on a wall or door or resting The event was unprecedented. On January 15, Zhou's funeral was held, and because of his popularity nationally, events commemorating Zhou across the country took place. Events 588 BC - Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah 's reign A funeral is a Ceremony marking a person's Death. Funerary customs comprise the complex of Beliefs and practices used by a Culture to remember The Gang of Four, which had a heavy hand in media control, became alarmed at the spontaneous mourning, and imposed restrictions, forbidding the "wearing of black sashes and white flowers" along with other mourning activities. The Gang of Four ( was the name given to a leftist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist party officials Deng Xiaoping delivered Zhou's official eulogy. A eulogy is a speech or writing in Praise of a person or thing

In February, the Gang of Four began to criticize its final serious political opponent, Vice-Premier Deng Xiaoping. Deng was once again stripped of all positions "inside and outside of the party". But after Zhou's death, Mao did not select a member of the Gang of Four to become premier, instead choosing the relatively unknown Hua Guofeng. Hua Guofeng ( (16 February 1921 &ndash 20 August 2008 born as Su Zhu ( was Mao Zedong 's designated successor as the Paramount leader of the

April 5 was China's Qingming Festival, a traditional day of mourning for those who have died. Events 456 - St Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop The Qingming Festival ( Vietnamese language: Tết Thanh Minh meaning Clear and Bright Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival on the 104th day after People had gathered since late March in Tiananmen Square, mourning the death of Zhou Enlai. Tiananmen Square ( is the large Plaza near the center of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen (literally Gate of Heavenly Peace At the same time, people were also signaling their anger towards the Gang of Four. Gradually, more and more people began writing and posting messages of hatred against the Gang of Four. On April 5, around 2 million people were gathered in and around Tiananmen Square, turning the assembly into a form of protest against the Gang of Four. The Gang of Four ordered police to enter the area, clear the wreaths and messages of hate, and disperse the crowds. They pointed to Deng Xiaoping as the planner of this expression of public dissatisfaction. This incident was later "politically rehabilitated" in the winter of 1978, and became known as the Qingming Tiananmen Square incident. Political rehabilitation is the process by which a member of a political organization or government who has fallen into disgrace is restored to public life The Tiananmen Incident ( Sìwǔ Tiān'ānmén shìjiàn, "April 5 Tian'anmen Incident" took place on April 5, 1976 at Tiananmen Square

On September 9, 1976, Mao Zedong died. Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Mao's image from the Cultural Revolution portrayed him as an ideal person who mingled among the general public. To the common people, Mao's death symbolized the loss of the socialist foundation of China, and when his death was announced on the afternoon of September 9, 1976, in a press release entitled A Notice from the Central Committee, the NPC, State Council, and the CMC to all those in the military and party, as well as all Chinese people,^[15] the entire nation descended into a massive state of spontaneous grief and mourning, with people weeping in the streets and public institutions closing for over a week. Before dying, Mao had written a message on a piece of paper stating "With you in charge, I'm at ease", to Hua Guofeng. Hence, Hua became the Party's Chairman. Before this event, Hua had been widely considered to be lacking in political skill and ambitions, and as posing no threat to the Gang of Four in the power succession. But under the influence of prominent generals like Ye Jianying, and partly under influence of Deng Xiaoping, and with the support of the Army, Hua ordered the arrest of the Gang of Four following Mao's death. Ye Jianying ( Jyutping: Yip Gim-ying ( April 28, 1897 - October 22, 1986) was a Chinese Communist general and the chairman Deng Xiaoping ( 22 August 1904 19 February 1997) was a prominent Chinese Revolutionary, Politician, Pragmatist and Reformer By October 10, the 8341 Special Regiment had all members of the Gang of Four arrested. Events 680 - Battle of Karbala: Shia Imam Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is decapitated Thus ended the Cultural Revolution.

Aftermath

Even though Hua Guofeng publicly denounced and arrested the Gang of Four in 1976, he continued to invoke Mao's name to justify his policies. Hua opened what was known as the Two Whatevers,^[16] saying "Whatever policy originated from Chairman Mao, we must continue to support," and "Whatever directions were given to us from Chairman Mao, we must continue to work on their basis. The Two Whatevers ( refers to the statement that "We will resolutely uphold whatever policy decisions Chairman Mao made and unswervingly follow whatever instructions " Like Deng, Hua's goal was to reverse the damage of the Cultural Revolution; but unlike Deng, who was not against new economic models for China, Hua intended to move the Chinese economic and political system towards Soviet-style planning of the early 1950s.

Soon afterwards, Hua found that without Deng Xiaoping it was hard for him to continue daily affairs of the state. On October 10, Deng Xiaoping personally wrote a letter to Hua asking to be transferred back to state and party affairs. Events 680 - Battle of Karbala: Shia Imam Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is decapitated Unconfirmed information allegedly stated that Politburo Standing Committee member Ye Jianying would resign if Deng was not allowed back into the Central Government. Ye Jianying ( Jyutping: Yip Gim-ying ( April 28, 1897 - October 22, 1986) was a Chinese Communist general and the chairman With increasing pressure from all sides, Hua decided to bring Deng back into regular state affairs, first naming him Vice-Premier of the State Council in July 1977, and to various other positions. In actuality, Deng had already become China's number two figure. In August, the Party's Eleventh Congress was held in Beijing, officially naming (in ranking order) Hua Guofeng, Ye Jianying, Deng Xiaoping, Li Xiannian, and Wang Dongxing as the latest members of the Politburo Standing Committee. Hua Guofeng ( (16 February 1921 &ndash 20 August 2008 born as Su Zhu ( was Mao Zedong 's designated successor as the Paramount leader of the Ye Jianying ( Jyutping: Yip Gim-ying ( April 28, 1897 - October 22, 1986) was a Chinese Communist general and the chairman Deng Xiaoping ( 22 August 1904 19 February 1997) was a prominent Chinese Revolutionary, Politician, Pragmatist and Reformer Li Xiannian ( (23 June 1909&ndash21 June 1992 was President of the People's Republic of China between 1983 and 1988 and then president of the Chinese People's Political Wang Dongxing ( born 1916 was Mao Zedong 's principal bodyguard during the Cultural Revolution. The Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (PSC, abbreviated) is a committee whose membership varies between 5 and 9 people usually men and includes ^[17]

In May, 1978, Deng seized the opportunity for his protégé, Hu Yaobang, to be further elevated to power. Hu Yaobang ( Chinese: 胡耀邦 Pinyin: Hú Yàobāng Wade-Giles: Hu Yao-pang 20 November 1915&ndash15 April 1989 was a leader of the People's Hu published an article in the Bright Daily Newspaper making clever use of Mao's quotations while expanding Deng's power base. After reading this widely publicized article, almost everyone supported Hu and thus Deng. On July 1, Deng publicized Mao's self-criticism report of 1962 regarding the Great Leap Forward. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. With an expanding power base, in September 1978, Deng had already started to openly attack Hua Guofeng's "Two Whatevers". ^[16]

On December 18, 1978, the Third Plenum of the Eleventh CCP Congress was held. Events 218 BC - Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia - Hannibal 's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) Deng stated that "a liberation of thoughts" and "an accurate view leading to accurate results" was needed within the party. Hua Guofeng engaged in self-criticisms, stating that his own "Two Whatevers" was wrong. Wang Dongxing, formerly Mao's trusted supporter, was also criticized. At the Plenum, the Qingming Tiananmen Square incident was also politically rehabilitated. Liu Shaoqi was allowed a belated state funeral. ^[18]

In the Fifth Plenum of the Eleventh CCP Congress, held in 1980, Peng Zhen and many others who had been purged during the Cultural Revolution were politically rehabilitated. Hu Yaobang was named General-Secretary and Zhao Ziyang, another of Deng's protégés, was named into the Central governing apparatus. The General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee ( is the highest ranking official within the Communist Party of China and heads the Secretariat Zhao Ziyang ( (17 October 1919&ndash17 January 2005 was a politician in the People's Republic of China. In September, Hua Guofeng resigned, with Zhao Ziyang being named the new Premier. Deng was the Chairman of the Central Military Commission. A Central Military Commission or National Defense Commission is an organisation typical of Communist One-party states responsible for supervising the nation's

Effect

The central section of this wall shows the faint remnant marks of a propaganda slogan that was added during the Cultural Revolution, but has since been removed. The slogan reads "Boundless faith in Chairman Mao. "

The effects of the Cultural Revolution directly or indirectly touched essentially all of China's populace. During the Cultural Revolution, much economic activity was halted, with "revolution", regardless of interpretation, being the primary objective of the country. An economy is the realized social system of production exchange distribution and consumption of goods and services of a country or other area The start of the Cultural Revolution brought huge numbers of Red Guards to Beijing, with all expenses paid by the government, and the railway system was in turmoil. "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. Countless ancient buildings, artifacts, antiques, books, and paintings were destroyed by Red Guards. By December 1967, 350 million copies of Mao's Quotations had been printed. Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong ( better known in the West as The Little Red Book, was published by the Government of the ^[19]

Elsewhere, the 10 years of the Cultural Revolution also brought the education system to a virtual halt. Education encompasses both the Teaching and Learning of Knowledge, proper conduct, and technical competency The university entrance exams were cancelled during this period, only to be restored by Deng Xiaoping in 1977. Many intellectuals were sent to rural labor camps. An intellectual (from the adjective meaning "involving thought and reason" is a person who tries to use his or her Intelligence and analytical thinking, Many survivors and observers suggest that almost anyone with skills over that of the average person was made the target of political "struggle" in some way. According to most Western observers as well as followers of Deng Xiaoping, this led to almost an entire generation of inadequately educated individuals. However, this varies depending on the region, and the measurement of literacy did not resurface until the 1980s. ^[20] Some counties in the Zhanjiang district, for example, had illiteracy rates as high as 41% some 20 years after the revolution. Zhanjiang (湛江 French Fort-Bayard) is a Prefecture-level city in Guangdong province in southeast China. The leaders denied any illiteracy problems from the start. This effect was amplified by the elimination of qualified teachers--many of the districts were forced to rely upon chosen students to re-educate the next generation. ^[20]

Mao Zedong Thought had become the central operative guide to all things in China. Maoism, variably and officially known as Mao Zedong Thought ( is a variant of Marxism derived from the teachings of the late Chinese leader The authority of the Red Guards surpassed that of the army, local police authorities, and the law in general. Law is a system of rules enforced through a set of Institutions used as an instrument to underpin civil obedience politics economics and society China's traditional arts and ideas were ignored, with praise for Mao being practiced in their place. People were encouraged to criticize cultural institutions and to question their parents and teachers, which had been strictly forbidden in Confucian culture. Confucianism ( is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system originally developed from the teachings of the fifth century B This was emphasized even more during the Anti-Lin Biao; Anti-Confucius Campaign. Slogans such as "Parents may love me, but not as much as Chairman Mao" were common.

The Cultural Revolution also brought to the forefront numerous internal power struggles within the Communist party, many of which had little to do with the larger battles between Party leaders, but resulted instead from local factionalism and petty rivalries that were usually unrelated to the "revolution" itself. Because of the chaotic political environment, local governments lacked organization and stability, if they existed at all. Members of different factions often fought on the streets, and political assassination, particularly in rural-oriented provinces, was common. The masses spontaneously involved themselves in factions, and took part in open warfare against other factions. The ideology that drove these factions was vague and sometimes nonexistent, with the struggle for local authority being the only motivation for mass involvement.

Destruction of antiques, historical sites and cultures

China's historical reserves, artifacts and sites of interest suffered devastating damage as they were thought to be at the root of "old ways of thinking". Many artifacts were seized from private homes and often destroyed on the spot. There are no records of exactly how much was destroyed. Western observers suggest that much of China's thousands of years of history was in effect destroyed during the short ten years of the Cultural Revolution, and that such destruction of historical artifacts is unmatched at any time or place in human history. Chinese historians compare the cultural suppression during the Cultural Revolution to Qin Shihuang's great Confucian purge. Qin Shi Huang ( (259 BC – September 10 210 BC personal name Yíng Zhèng, was king of the Chinese State of Qin from 247 BCE to 221 BCE (during the The most prominent symbol of academic research in archaeology, the journal Kaogu, did not publish during the Cultural Revolution. Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos Kaogu (Chinese 考古 is the name of a prominent peer-reviewed journal of Chinese Archaeology. Religious persecution, in particular, intensified during this period, because religion was seen as being opposed to Marxist-Leninist and Maoist thinking. Religious persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group of individuals as a response to their religious beliefs of affiliations.

Remnants of a banner from the Cultural Revolution in Anhui. Anhui (in Chinese: 安徽 Ānhuī) is a province of the People's Republic of China.

The status of traditional Chinese culture within China is also severely damaged as a result of the Cultural Revolution. Many traditional customs, such as fortune telling;[4] paper art; feng shui consultations;[5] wearing traditional Chinese dresses for weddings; use of traditional Chinese calendar; scholarship in classical Chinese literature; and the practice of referring to the Chinese New Year as "New Year" rather than "Spring Festival"; had been weakened in China. Feng shui ( ˈfəŋˌʃueɪ fehng-shway in English is an ancient Chinese system of Aesthetics believed to utilize the Laws of both heaven (astronomy and earth (geography Chinese New Year is the most important of the Traditional Chinese holidays. Yet some aspects recovered fully, and some still survived in some forms in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau and overseas Chinese communities, notwithstanding the impacts of Western culture (and Japanese culture in the case of Taiwan) on those communities. Western culture (sometimes equated with Western Civilization) are terms which are used to refer to Cultures of European origin

The Cultural Revolution was particularly devastating for minority cultures in China. In Tibet, over 6,000 monasteries were destroyed, often with the complicity of local ethnic Tibetan Red Guards. Definitions of Tibet See also Definitions of Tibet Name In English The English word Tibet, like the word for Tibet in most European This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. For the life inside monasteries and its historical roots see Monasticism. Definitions of Tibet See also Definitions of Tibet Name In English The English word Tibet, like the word for Tibet in most European In Inner Mongolia, some 790,000 people were persecuted, of these 22,900 were beaten to death and 120,000 were maimed,^[21] during a ruthless witchhunt to find members of the allegedly "separatist" Inner Mongolian People's Party, which had actually been disbanded decades before. Inner Mongolia ( Mongolian:, Öbür mongɣul; occasionally romanized to Nei Mongol is the Mongol "Witch trial" redirects here For the song by Rush, see Fear series. Separatism refers to the advocacy of a state of cultural ethnic tribal religious racial or gender separation from the larger group often with demands for greater political autonomy Inner Mongolian People's Party, or IMPP (Öbür mongɣul-un arad-un nam, or 内人党 pinyin nèiréndǎng is an Inner Mongolian Secessionist movement According to Jung Chang in her book Mao: The Unknown Story, cases included a Muslim woman having her teeth pulled out with pliers, then her nose and ears twisted off, before being hacked to death. Jung Chang ( born March 25, 1952) is a Chinese -born British writer now living in London, best known for her family Autobiography Mao The Unknown Story ( 2005) an eight hundred and thirty two page biography written by the husband and wife team writer Jung Chang and historian A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion Another woman was raped with a pole (she then committed suicide). One man had nails driven into his skull. Another had his tongue cut out and then his eyes gouged out. Another was beaten with clubs on the genitals before having gunpowder forced up his nostrils and set alight. ^[22] In Xinjiang, copies of the Quran and other books of the Uyghur people were burned and Muslim imams were reportedly paraded around with paint splashed on their persons. Xinjiang ( Uyghur: شىنجاڭ Shinjang;; Postal map spelling: Sinkiang; Turkish: Sincan, Sincan Uygur Özerk The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran The Uyghur (also spelled Uygur, Uighur, Uigur, Uyghur: ئۇيغۇر) are a Turkic people of Central Asia. An imam (إمام plural ائمة A'immah, امام is an Islamic leader often the leader of a Mosque and/or community In the ethnic Korean areas of northeast China, language schools were destroyed. The Korean people are an East Asian Ethnic group. Most Koreans speak the Korean language. In Yunnan Province, the palace of the Dai people's king was torched, and an infamous massacre of Hui Muslim people at the hands of the People's Liberation Army, called the "Shadian Incident", claimed over 1,600 lives in 1975. The Dai peoples of China ( Tai Lü: tai51 lɯ11) is the officially recognized name of several Ethnic groups living in the Sipsongpanna Tai Autonomous Prefecture The Hui people ( Xiao'erjing: حُوِ ذَو) are a Chinese ethnic group, typically distinguished by their practice of Islam. The People's Liberation Army ( PLA) ( is the unified Military organization of all land sea and air forces of the People's Republic of China.

Human Rights violations

Millions of people in China reportedly had their human rights annulled during the Cultural Revolution. Millions more were also forcibly displaced. During the Cultural Revolution, young people from the cities were forcibly moved to the countryside, where they were forced to abandon all forms of standard education in place of the propaganda teachings of the Communist Party of China. Propaganda is a concerted set of messages aimed at influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people ^[16]

Some of the most extreme violence took place in Guangxi,^[23] where a Chinese journalist found a "disturbing picture of official compliance in the systematic killing and cannibalization of individuals in the name of political revolution and 'class struggle. Guangxi (or Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region;) is a Zhuang autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Cannibalism (from Spanish es ''caníbal'' in connection with cannibalism among the Antillean Caribs, also called anthropophagy (from Greek ἄνθρωπος A political revolution, in the Trotskyist theory is an upheaval in which the government is replaced or the form of government altered but in which property relations are predominantly Class struggle is the active expression of Class conflict looked at from any kind of socialist perspective '"^[24] Senior party historians acknowledge that "In a few places, it even happened that 'counterrevolutionaries' were beaten to death and in the most beastly fashion had their flesh and liver consumed [by their killers]. A counter-revolutionary is anyone who opposes a Revolution, particularly those who act after a revolution to try to overturn or reverse it in full or in part "^[25]

Estimates of the death toll, civilians and Red Guards, from various Western and Eastern sources^[6] are about 500,000 in the true years of chaos of 1966—1969. Some people were not able to stand the cruel tortures, they lost hope for the future, and simply committed suicide. One of the most famous cases was communist leader Deng Xiaoping's son Deng Pufang who jumped/was thrown from a four-story building during that time. Deng Xiaoping ( 22 August 1904 19 February 1997) was a prominent Chinese Revolutionary, Politician, Pragmatist and Reformer Deng Pufang ( (born 16 April 1944) is the first son of former China 's Paramount leader Deng Xiaoping. Instead of dying, he became a paraplegic. Paraplegia is an impairment in motor and/or sensory function of the lower extremities In the trial of the so-called Gang of Four, a Chinese court stated that 729,511 people had been persecuted of which 34,800 were said to have died. The Gang of Four ( was the name given to a leftist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist party officials ^[26] However, the true figure may never be known since many deaths went unreported or were actively covered up by the police or local authorities. Other reasons are the state of Chinese demographics at the time, as well as the reluctance of the PRC to allow serious research into the period. ^[27] One recent scholarly account asserts that in rural China alone some 36 million people were persecuted, of whom between 750,000 and 1. 5 million were killed, with roughly the same number permanently injured. ^[28] In Mao: The Unknown Story, Jung Chang and Jon Halliday claim that as many as 3 million people died in the violence of the Cultural Revolution. Mao The Unknown Story ( 2005) an eight hundred and thirty two page biography written by the husband and wife team writer Jung Chang and historian Jung Chang ( born March 25, 1952) is a Chinese -born British writer now living in London, best known for her family Autobiography Jon Halliday is a Historian of Russia and was a former Senior Visiting Research Fellow at King's College London. ^[29]

World reaction

The reaction abroad was mixed, and inevitably, tied to political movements of the time. A significant re-evaluation of the events of the Cultural Revolution occurred amongst the western left once the full extent of the destruction became known, thus tarnishing China's image in the West. ^[30] Hong Kong also launched a strike such as the Hong Kong 1967 riots and its eventual excessiveness damaged the credibility of pro-Communist activists in the eyes of Hong Kong residents for more than a generation. Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders Strike action, often simply called a strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal by Employees to perform work. The Hong Kong 1967 riots ( Traditional Chinese: 六七暴動 began in May 1967. ^[31] In the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek initiated the Chinese Culture Renaissance Movement to counter what he regarded as destruction of traditional Chinese values by the Communists on the mainland. REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Chiang Kai-shek ( POJ: Chiúⁿ Kài-se̍k Jyutping: zoeng2gaai3sek6 GCB ( October 31, 1887 &ndash

Whatever the case, several self-described "Maoist" political parties survive today, throughout the globe, such as those found within the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement. The Revolutionary Internationalist Movement is an international Communist organization which upholds Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.

Thinking

Some commentators argue that the Cultural Revolution years saw the Chinese people leave behind many uncritical habits of conformist and authoritarian thinking. This can be seen in the words of some of the student leaders of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 culminating in the Tiananmen Square Massacre (referred to in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident, to avoid confusion with two According to student leader Shen Tong in his book, Almost a Revolution, the trigger for the famous hunger-strikes of 1989 was a "dazibao" (big-character poster), a form of public political discussion that gained prominence in the Cultural Revolution and was subsequently outlawed. When students organized demonstrations in the millions, something not seen since the Cultural Revolution, youths from outside Beijing rode the trains into Beijing and relied on the hospitality of train workers and Beijing residents, just as their counterparts had ridden the trains freely during the Cultural Revolution. Also, as in the Cultural Revolution, students formed factions, with names similar to those of Red Guard factions, using the term "Headquarters" for instance, and according to Shen Tong, these factions even went to the extent of kidnapping members of other factions, just as they had done in the Cultural Revolution. Shen Tong ( Simplified Chinese: 沈彤 Hanyu Pinyin: Shěn Tóng is a Chinese Dissident who was one of the Student leaders Finally, in a small minority of cases, some of the student leaders of 1989 had been youth activists in high school during the Cultural Revolution. It was as a result of the Cultural Revolution that criticism of high-level authority in public became more thinkable in the PRC, although criticism of Mao Zedong still remained entirely off-limits during the Cultural Revolution and criticism of his ideology also remained off-limits afterwards. ^[5]

Historical views

Today, the Cultural Revolution is seen by most people inside and outside of China, including the Communist Party of China and Chinese democracy movement supporters, as an unmitigated disaster, and as an event to be avoided in the future. The Communist Party of China ( CPC) ( also known as the Chinese Communist Party ( CCP) is the founding and ruling political party of the The Chinese democracy movement ( abbreviated as Mínyùn "民运" is a loosely organized political movement in Mainland China against continued There are no politically significant groups within China that defend the Cultural Revolution. However, there are many workers and peasants in China who, left behind by economic liberalization and the widening rich-poor gap, feel nostalgia for the Cultural Revolution (as well as the Maoist Era in general), during which the proletariat was glorified. The proletariat (from Latin la ''proles'' "offspring" is a term used to identify a lower Social class; a member of such a class is proletarian Gao Village, an anthropological history written by peasant born author Mobo Gao, discusses the positive influence the Cultural Revolution had on rural development. Gao Village a minor village featured within the famed ancient Chinese novel Journey to the West. [6] Some memoirists, such as Ma Bo, also hold aspects of the Cultural Revolution to be worthy of fond remembrance. ^[32]

Among those who condemn it, the causes and meaning of the Cultural Revolution remain highly controversial. Supporters of the Chinese democracy movement see the Cultural Revolution as an example of what happens when democracy is lacking and place responsibility for the Cultural Revolution on the Communist Party of China. The Communist Party of China ( CPC) ( also known as the Chinese Communist Party ( CCP) is the founding and ruling political party of the Similarly, human rights activists and civil libertarians also see the Cultural Revolution as an example of the dangers of statism. Human rights refers to the "basic Rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled Statism (or Etatism) is a very loose and often Derogatory term that is used to describe Specific instances of state intervention in personal social Briefly put, these views of the Cultural Revolution attribute its cause to "too much government and too little popular participation".

By contrast, the official view of the Communist Party of China is that the Cultural Revolution is what can happen when one person establishes a cult of personality and manipulates the public in such a way as to destroy the party and state institutions. A cult of personality or personality cult arises when a country's leader uses Mass media to create a heroic public image through unquestioning flattery and praise In this view, the Cultural Revolution is an example of too much popular participation in government, rather than too little; and is an example of the dangers of anarchy rather than statism. Anarchism is a Political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which support the elimination of all compulsory Government, i Statism (or Etatism) is a very loose and often Derogatory term that is used to describe Specific instances of state intervention in personal social The consequence of this view is the consensus among the Chinese leadership that China must be governed by a strong party institution, in which decisions are made collectively and according to the rule of law, and in which the public has only limited input. The rule of law, in its most basic form is the principle that no one is above the law After Mao's death, the Communist Party blamed the Gang of Four for the negative results of the Cultural Revolution. ^[33] Liu Xiaobo argued that this is still the case, with the Gang of Four being used as convenient scapegoats, rather than focusing upon Mao Zedong's responsibility. scapegoat was a Goat that was driven off into the wilderness as part of the ceremonies of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement in Judaism during the times ^[34]

These contradictory views of the Cultural Revolution were put into sharp relief during the Tiananmen Protests of 1989, when both the demonstrators and the government justified their actions as being necessary to avoid another Cultural Revolution. The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 culminating in the Tiananmen Square Massacre (referred to in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident, to avoid confusion with two

The relationship between Mao Zedong and the Cultural Revolution is also controversial. Although there is general agreement that Mao was responsible for the Cultural Revolution, there is considerable dispute concerning the effect of the Cultural Revolution on Mao's legacy. The PRC's official version of history regards the Cultural Revolution as a serious error by Mao Zedong, whose contribution to history was 70% good and 30% bad. Mao Zedong ( 26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976) was a Chinese Military and political leader who led Using this formulation, the Party has argued that the Cultural Revolution should not denigrate Mao's earlier role as a heroic leader in fighting the Japanese, founding the People's Republic of China and developing the ideology which underlies the Communist Party of China. The Empire of Japan ( {{unicode|Kyūjitai}}: ja 大日本帝國 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国 pronounced Dai Nippon Teikoku Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES The Communist Party of China ( CPC) ( also known as the Chinese Communist Party ( CCP) is the founding and ruling political party of the This allows the Party to condemn both the Cultural Revolution and Mao's role within it, without calling into question the ideology of the Party.

The first museum specifically dedicated to the Cultural Revolution opened in mid-2005 as a privately-funded museum in Guangdong province, created by Peng Qi'an, 74, a former deputy mayor of Shantou. Guangdong ( EFEO: Kouangtong; Pinyin Guǎngdōng; Postal map spelling: Kwangtung) is a province on the History Shantou was a fishing village part of Tuojiang City (鮀江都 Jieyang District (揭陽縣 during the Song Dynasty. Peng himself was almost executed during the Cultural Revolution, and survived only due to a last-minute reprieve. He stated that he wanted future generations of Chinese to realise how large an impact the period had on China, and how much ordinary Chinese suffered. Although the museum continues to operate, publicity about the museum was suppressed by provincial authorities shortly after its opening.

See also

• Chinese New Left
• Eight model plays
• The Hundred Flowers Movement
• Maoism
• List of campaigns of the Communist Party of China
• History of the People's Republic of China
• Li Zhensheng
• GPCR Ultra-Left
• Zhdanov Doctrine
• Hong Kong 1967 riots
• 1960s in Hong Kong
• Scar literature
• The Rusticated Youth of China
• Stalin’s Great Purge

References

Further reading

• Simon Leys (penname of Pierre Ryckmans) Broken Images: Essays on Chinese Culture and Politics (1979). Pierre Ryckmans (born 28 September 1935, in Brussels, Belgium) who also uses the Pen-name Simon Leys, is a Writer Pierre Ryckmans (born 28 September 1935, in Brussels, Belgium) who also uses the Pen-name Simon Leys, is a Writer ISBN 0-8052-8069-3
• - The Burning Forest: Essays on Chinese Culture and Politics (1986). ISBN 0-03-005063-4; ISBN 0-586-08630-7; ISBN 0-8050-0350-9; ISBN 0-8050-0242-1.
• - The Chairman's New Clothes: Mao and the Cultural Revolution (1977; revised 1981). ISBN 0-85031-208-6; ISBN 0-8052-8080-4; ISBN 0-312-12791-X; ISBN 0-85031-209-4; ISBN 0-85031-435-6 (revised ed. ).
• - Chinese Shadows (1978). ISBN 0-670-21918-5; ISBN 0-14-004787-5.
• Chan, Anita. 1985. Children of Mao: Personality Development and Political Activism in the Red Guard Generation. Seattle: University of Washington Press. See Washington (disambiguation for other uses The University of Washington, founded in 1861, is a public research University
• Chan, Che Po. 1991. From Idealism to Pragmatism: The Change of Political Thinking among the Red Guard Generation in China. Ph. D. diss. , University of California, Santa Barbara. The University of California Santa Barbara ( UCSB) is a selective research-oriented public university located on the Pacific Ocean in Santa Barbara County California
• Liu, Guokai. 1987. A Brief Analysis of the Cultural Revolution. edited by Anita Chan. Armonk, N. Y. : M. E. Sharpe.
• Yang, Guobin. 2000. China's Red Guard Generation: The Ritual Process of Identity Transformation, 1966-1999. Ph. D. diss. , New York University. New York University ( NYU) is a private, Nonsectarian, Coeducational Research University in New York City.
• Fox Butterfield, China: Alive in the Bitter Sea, (1982, revised 2000), ISBN 0-553-34219-3, an oral history of some Chinese people's experience during the Cultural Revolution. Fox Butterfield (born 1939 in Lancaster Pennsylvania) is an American journalist who spent much of his 30-year career reporting for The New York Times
• MacFarquhar, Roderick and Schoenhals, Michael. Roderick Lemonde MacFarquhar (born December 2, 1930) is a Harvard University professor and China specialist British Politician Mao's Last Revolution. Harvard University Press, 2006. Harvard University Press ( HUP) is a Publishing house, a division of Harvard University, that is highly respected in Academic publishing. ISBN 0674023323
• Zheng Yi. Scarlet Memorial: Tales of Cannibalism in Modern China. Westview Press, 1998. Westview Press was founded in 1975 in Boulder, Colorado by Fred Praeger ISBN 0813326168
• Chang, Jung and Halliday, Jon. Jung Chang ( born March 25, 1952) is a Chinese -born British writer now living in London, best known for her family Autobiography Jon Halliday is a Historian of Russia and was a former Senior Visiting Research Fellow at King's College London. Mao: The Unknown Story. Mao The Unknown Story ( 2005) an eight hundred and thirty two page biography written by the husband and wife team writer Jung Chang and historian Jonathan Cape, London, 2005. Jonathan Cape was a British Publisher founded in 1919 as Jonathan Page and Company; the name was changed in 1921 and it took over the back list of ISBN 0224071262
• Novel: Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang. A true story about the life of a young girl during the cultural revolution.
• Emily Wu and Larry Engelmann "Feather in the Storm" a childhood lost in chaos (2006) ISBN 0-375-42428-8

[7]

• Novel: Revolution is Not a Dinner Party by Ying Chang Compestine (2007)

External links

• Encyclopedia Britannica. The Cultural Revolution
• History of The Cultural Revolution
• Chinese propaganda posters gallery (Cultural Revolution, Mao, and others)
• Hua Guofeng's speech to the 11th Party Congress, 1977
• Labels with Cultural Revolution Posters, Badges, and History
• Morning Sun - A Film and Website about Cultural Revolution and the photographs of the subject available from the film's site.
• Another website about the Cultural Revolution
• Attempts to document using eyewitness accounts events during the Cultural Revolution
• Chinese propaganda posters, Cultural Revolution statuettes, maoist stuff and revolutionary songs
• Exhibition causes stir with candid views of 'great' Mao The Times, July 14, 2005
• Chinese Museum Looks Back in Candor: Groundbreaking New Exhibit on Cultural Revolution Sparks Official Displeasure but Visitors' Praise from the Washington Post, June 3, 2005
• "William Hinton on the Cultural Revolution" by Dave Pugh
• "Student Attacks Against Teachers: The Revolution of 1966" by Youqin Wang