The Gang of Four was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes due to their responsibility for the excesses and failures in the Cultural Revolution. The gang's leading figure was Jiang Qing. The other members were Zhang Chunqiao,Yao Wenyuan,and Wang Hongwen.
Hua Guofeng was a Chinese politician who served as chairman of the Chinese Communist Party and the 2nd premier of China. The designated successor of Mao Zedong,Hua held the top offices of the government,party,and the military after the deaths of Mao and Premier Zhou Enlai,but was gradually forced out of supreme power by a coalition of party leaders between December 1978 and June 1981,and subsequently retreated from the political limelight,though still remaining a member of the Central Committee until 2002.
The Politburo Standing Committee (PSC),officially the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China,is a committee consisting of the top leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the state,as its members concurrently hold the most senior positions within the state council. Historically it has been composed of five to eleven members,and currently has seven members. Its officially mandated purpose is to conduct policy discussions and make decisions on major issues when the Politburo,a larger decision-making body,is not in session. According to the party's constitution,the General Secretary of the Central Committee must also be a member of the Politburo Standing Committee.
Wang Hongwen was a Chinese labour activist and politician who was the youngest member of the "Gang of Four". He rose to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976),after organizing the Shanghai People's Commune,to become one of the foremost members of national leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
From November 1978 to December 1979,thousands of people put up "big character posters" on a long brick wall of Xidan Street,Xicheng District of Beijing,to protest about the political and social issues of China;the wall became known as the Democracy Wall. Under acquiescence of the Chinese government,other kinds of protest activities,such as unofficial journals,petitions,and demonstrations,were also soon spreading out in major cities of China. This movement can be seen as the beginning of the Chinese Democracy Movement. It is also known as the "Democracy Wall Movement". This short period of political liberation was known as the "Beijing Spring".
"Seek truth from facts" is a historically established idiomatic expression (chengyu) in the Chinese language that first appeared in the Book of Han. Originally,it described an attitude toward study and research. Popularized by Chinese leader Mao Zedong,it has become a major slogan of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the inspiration for its principal theoretical journal,Qiushi.
The "Two Whatevers" refers to the statement that "We will resolutely uphold whatever policy decisions Chairman Mao made,and unswervingly follow whatever instructions Chairman Mao gave" (凡是毛主席作出的决策，我们都坚决维护；凡是毛主席的指示，我们都始终不渝地遵循).
The time period in China from the death of Mao Zedong in 1976 until the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre is often known as Dengist China. In September 1976,after CCP Chairman Mao Zedong's death,the People's Republic of China was left with no central authority figure,either symbolically or administratively. The Gang of Four was purged,but new Chairman Hua Guofeng insisted on continuing Maoist policies. After a bloodless power struggle,Deng Xiaoping came to the helm to reform the Chinese economy and government institutions in their entirety. Deng,however,was conservative with regard to wide-ranging political reform,and along with the combination of unforeseen problems that resulted from the economic reform policies,the country underwent another political crisis,culminating in the crackdown of massive pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square.
The Chairman Mao Memorial Hall,also known as the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong,is the final resting place of Mao Zedong,Chairman of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party from 1943 and the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party from 1945,whose preserved body has been on display since his death in 1976.
Deng Xiaoping Theory,also known as Dengism,is the series of political and economic ideologies first developed by Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping. The theory does not reject Marxism–Leninism or Maoism,but instead claims to be an adaptation of them to the existing socioeconomic conditions of China.
The Stinking Old Ninth is a Chinese dysphemism for intellectuals used at two major points,the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) and the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976).
The history of the Chinese Communist Party began with its establishment in July 1921. A study group led by Peking University professors Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao to discuss Marxism,led to intellectuals officially founding the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in July 1921. In 1923,Sun Yat-sen invited the CCP to form a United Front,and to join his nationalist party,the Kuomintang (KMT),in Canton for training under representatives of the Communist International,the Soviet Union's international organization. The Soviet representatives reorganized both parties into Leninist parties. Rather than the loose organization that characterized the two parties until then,the Leninist party operated on the principle of democratic centralism,in which the collective leadership set standards for membership and an all-powerful Central Committee determined the party line,which all members must follow.
Wu De,born Li Chunhua (李春华),was a Chinese Communist revolutionary and politician of the People's Republic of China. He served in provincial-level leadership positions in Pingyuan Province,Tianjin municipality,Jilin Province,and Beijing municipality,and was a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party from 1973 to 1980. After the Cultural Revolution,Wu was a key supporter of Hua Guofeng and was forced out of politics after Deng Xiaoping ousted Hua from his leadership position.
Ji Dengkui was a Chinese political figure during the Cultural Revolution. He was a member of the 10th and 11th Politburos of the Communist Party and was a protégéof Mao Zedong in Mao's later years. He served in a number of important government and military posts,including member of the Central Military Commission,Political Commissar of the Beijing Military Region,and Vice Premier of the State Council. After Mao's death in 1976,he supported Mao's designated successor,Hua Guofeng,in purging the Gang of Four. Two years later,Deng Xiaoping ousted Hua from his leadership position,and Ji,labelled the "Little Gang of Four" together with other prominent Hua supporters,was forced out of politics.
The Secretary-General of the Chinese Communist Party was a senior leadership position of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to assist in the daily work of the Central Committee. The secretary-general was established at the beginning of the founding of the CCP. However,due to the loss of information during the Long March and the Chinese Civil War,the records of the early secretaries-general were incomplete. Deng Xiaoping,the second-generation leader of China,served three times in the early years as the secretary-general of the Central Committee. The position of the secretary-general was renamed as general secretary from 1956 to 1966 and from 1980 to 1982. At that time,the leader of the Communist Party was Chairman of the Central Committee. The general secretary assisted the party chairman and vice chairmen in handling works of the Secretariat. Deng Xiaoping and Hu Yaobang successively served as the secretary-general and general secretary during the period of Chairman Mao Zedong and Chairman Hua Guofeng respectively.
Boluan Fanzheng refers to a period of significant sociopolitical reforms starting with the accession of Deng Xiaoping to the paramount leadership in China,replacing Hua Guofeng,who had been appointed as Mao Zedong's successor before Mao's death in 1976. During this period,a far-reaching program of reforms was undertaken by Deng and his allies to "correct the mistakes of the Cultural Revolution",and restore order in the country. The start of the Boluan Fanzheng period is regarded as an inflection point in Chinese history,with its cultural adjustments later proven to be the bedrock upon which the parallel economic reform and opening up could take place. As such,aspects of market capitalism were successfully introduced to the Chinese economy,giving rise to a period of growth often characterized as one of the most impressive economic achievements in human history.
The 1978 Truth Criterion Controversy,also known as the 1978 Truth Criterion Discussion,sometimes referred to as the First Great Debate in contemporary China,was a sociopolitical debate around 1978,mainly revolving around Hua Guofeng's "Two Whatevers" and Deng Xiaoping's "Reform and opening up". The debate was also the origin of the "New Enlightenment" in mainland China in the 1980s.
The Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party since the Founding of the People's Republic of China is a 1981 document which assesses the legacy of the Mao Zedong era and the party's priorities moving forward. It was unanimously adopted by the sixth plenary session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party on 27 June 1981.
Hua Guofeng's cult of personality was the attempted cult of personality of Hua Guofeng,who became the second Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party from 1976 until 1981,after the death of former chairman Mao Zedong. After ceasing power in 1976,Hua Guofeng attempted to establish a cult of personality around himself by closely associating himself with Mao's legacy. He adopted Mao's style,including his distinctive hairstyle,and often emulated Mao's public demeanor. State media and propaganda were employed extensively to project Hua as Mao's rightful successor. During the height of Hua's personality cult,the number of portraits and images of Hua even surpassed those of Mao.
"With you in charge,I'm at ease" is reportedly a phrase written by Chairman Mao Zedong of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on a note before his death. This statement provided a significant basis of legitimacy for Hua Guofeng to succeed as the top leader. However,its authenticity has been widely debated,and the phrase played a central role in the political struggles that followed Mao's death.
