Cultural Revolution

In April 1964, the first edition of Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong, also known as the 'little red book', was published. This book contained key thoughts and quotes from Mao Zedong's speeches and writings.

The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution was initiated by Mao Zedong in China on May 16, 1966, to eliminate perceived bourgeois elements from the party and society, leading to widespread chaos and suffering.

After the purge of Peng Zhen, Nie Yuanzi, along with other leftists, authored a big-character poster attacking the university's party administration. Mao endorsed the poster, leading to student revolts and nationwide class suspensions.

In July, Mao criticized party leadership for mishandling the work-teams issue, accusing them of undermining the student movement. Mao called for the full withdrawal of work teams, leading to a rally at the Great Hall of the People to announce the decision.

On July 28, 1966, Jiang Qing, Mao's wife and a key figure in the Cultural Revolution Group, conveyed Mao's instruction regarding mass violence at a students' rally. Mao believed that violence was an inevitable part of the Red Guard mobilization and should be tolerated.

On 1 August, the Eleventh Plenum of the 8th Central Committee was convened to advance Mao's radical agenda. Mao's disdain for Liu Shaoqi during the plenum marked a decisive split between Mao and the party leadership.

On August 5, 1966, Ms. Bian Zhongyun, the deputy principal of Beijing Normal University Female Middle School, was attacked and killed by Red Guards on baseless accusations. This incident marked the beginning of a series of brutal attacks on educators in China by militant students, leading to widespread violence and killings.

On August 8, 1966, the party's General Committee passed the 'Decision Concerning the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution,' later known as the 'Sixteen Points.' This decision marked the beginning of a significant revolution that aimed to deeply impact the socialist revolution in China.

Spurred by Mao Zedong and Lin Biao's remarks at the Mass Rally of August 18 on Tiananmen Square, the Red Guards in Beijing engaged in a major outburst of violence. This resulted in the invasion and ransacking of thousands of homes, destruction of cultural and historical sites, burning of books and artworks, and forced expulsion of thousands of people from their homes.

In August 1966, the CCP CC issued a directive titled 'Stipulations of the Ministry of Public Security forbidding the use of police force to suppress the revolutionary student movements.' This directive fueled violence and left thousands of people vulnerable to attacks by Red Guards, resulting in mass violence and ruthless killings.

During the Cultural Revolution, a severe pogrom took place in Daxing and Changping Counties near Beijing, where 325 'class enemies' and their family members were brutally killed, with 22 households completely wiped out.

On December 26, 1966, during his 73rd birthday party, Mao Zedong called for an 'All-round Civil War' to address the internal power struggles within the Communist Party of China.

On January 11, 1967, following Mao's directives, the Party Central sent a telegram to rebel organizations in Shanghai, initiating a power-seizure movement across the nation where mass organizations replaced purged government officials.

The first mass killing of unarmed civilians by military force with machine guns and submachine guns occurred in Shihezi city during a power-seizure movement in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The military Independent Regiment supported one conservative mass organization against the rebels, resulting in 26 deaths and 74 injuries.

In Xining city, Qinghai Province, the second mass killing of unarmed civilians by the military occurred. The PLA Qinghai Provincial Military District, following a directive from Beijing, took over the provincial newspaper, Qinghai Daily, resulting in the death of 169 civilians and injury of 178.

Military forces in Wuhan Military Region, Hubei Province and the conservatives resisted Mao's instructions, leading to armed demonstrations and crackdown resulting in the death and torture of thousands of people.

On August 8, 1967, the CCP Central Committee issued its 16 Points, calling for a mass revolution in China.

Pogroms in Dao County, Hunan Province led to the deaths of thousands, with victims labeled as 'class enemies' and forced to commit suicide, provoking similar slaughters in neighboring rural areas.

The first of eight Red Guard rallies took place in Tiananmen Square on August 18, 1967, marking a significant event during the Cultural Revolution.

During the power-seizure movement in January 1967, a mass killing of civilians occurred in Qingtongxia County of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The incident involved field army units attacking unarmed civilians who sided with General Zhu Shengda, resulting in 101 deaths and 133 injuries.

In the rural area of Quanzhou County, Guangxi Province, a pogrom occurred as a result of the reverberations from the Dao County Massacre. 76 landlords, rich peasants, and their family members were tied up and pushed off a cliff by the local militia battalion commander Huang Tianhui.

From May 13 to August 30, 1968, Guangxi Province witnessed the bloodiest suppressions of a rival mass faction led by provincial and local government leaders. Shockingly, victims were not only beaten to death but also subjected to cannibalization, with 10 to 20 thousand participants across the province. This gruesome trend resulted in 300-400 victims, with Wuxuan County being the most notorious for such atrocities.

Leaders of the Preparation Group of Guangxi Provincial Revolutionary Committee and Guangxi Provincial Military District sent a report to the Party Central in Beijing to eliminate the 'Anti-communist Army of Patriots'. This led to indiscriminate killings and torture of alleged members, resulting in numerous deaths and disabilities.

Mao Yuanxin, Vice-President of the Revolutionary Committee in Liaoning Province, led a campaign to 'Cleanse the Class Ranks' which resulted in over 20,000 deaths from 1968 to 1969 through illegal arrests, torture, and imprisonment.

Wang Jianxun, President of the Binyang County Revolutionary Committee, organized a mass killing of 'twenty-three kinds of class enemies' resulting in the execution of 3,681 people in just 11 days.

The campaign reached its peak in Beijing where 68,000 'hidden class enemies' were uncovered and subjected to abusive 'struggle sessions'. Hundreds of victims were beaten to death during this period.

Liu Shaoqi is formally expelled from the Chinese Communist Party on October 31st.

Between 1972-1976, Mao Zedong became depressed and reclusive after Lin Biao's incident. This led to the formation of a political clique known as the Gang of Four, consisting of Jiang Qing, Wang Hongwen, Zhang Chunqiao, and Yao Wenyuan, who held significant influence in the radical camp.

Zhou Enlai passed away on 8 January 1976 due to bladder cancer. His death marked a significant moment in Chinese politics, leading to a power struggle and the rise of Hua Guofeng as Premier, chosen by Mao over members of the Gang of Four or Deng Xiaoping.

On 15 January 1976, Deng Xiaoping delivered Zhou Enlai's eulogy at a funeral attended by China's senior leaders, excluding Mao who had grown critical of Zhou. This event highlighted the political tensions and power shifts within the Chinese leadership.

Millions of people gathered at Tiananmen Square in Beijing during the Qingming festival in April 1976 to mourn Premier Zhou Enlai's death and protest against the Cultural Revolutionaries in the CCP leadership, particularly Mao Zedong. The protest led to a severe crackdown by over ten thousand soldiers, policemen, and militiamen, resulting in widespread suppression across China.

Mao Zedong, the leader of the Cultural Revolution in China, passed away on September 9, 1976, marking the end of an era. His death had significant implications for the future direction of China.

Following Mao's death, the Gang of Four, including Jiang Qing, were arrested in a bloodless coup orchestrated by the Central Security Bureau's Special Unit 8341. This marked the downfall of the radical faction and the end of their influence.

After the conclusion of the Cultural Revolution in China, the New Party Central issued an order on February 22, 1977, to execute any counterrevolutionaries who verbally criticized Chairman Mao and Chairman Hua (Guofeng). This led to the nationwide execution of 44 famous political dissidents, including Wang Shengyou and Li Jiulian, who were later posthumously rehabilitated.

On 18 December 1978, the Third Plenum of the 11th Central Committee was held, marking the beginning of the economic reform era under Deng Xiaoping.

In 1980, documents revealed that over 2,600 people in the arts and literature field were persecuted by the Ministry of Culture during the Cultural Revolution. Names of 200 persecuted writers and artists, including Lao She and Fu Lei, were commemorated in 1979.

On June 27, 1981, the Central Committee adopted the Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party Since the Founding of the People's Republic of China, providing an official assessment of the Cultural Revolution and attributing chief responsibility for its grave errors to Mao Zedong.

On the eve of the 25th anniversary of the Cultural Revolution in 1991, Jiang Qing, the widow of Mao Zedong, hanged herself. Her death marked a symbolic end to a tumultuous chapter in Chinese history.

A Hong Kong-based political journal released classified official statistics stating that nearly two million Chinese were killed and 125 million were persecuted or struggled against during the state-sponsored killings and atrocities of the Cultural Revolution in China.

A biography of Mao Zedong by UK authors discussed that at least 3 million people died violent deaths during the Cultural Revolution in China.

The book 'Mao's Last Revolution' was co-authored by Roderick MacFarquhar and Michael Schoenhals, published in 2006 by Harvard University Press. It delves into the final phase of Mao Zedong's leadership and the events leading up to his death.