Gang Of Four Essay

From the late sixties to the mid 1970’s, China’s culture was held hostage by a four individuals who had been hand picked by Mao to control the thoughts and minds of the Chinese people. The four individuals manipulated and lied while attempting to ensure the success of the cultural revolution. These individuals were Jiang Qing, Yao Wenyuan, Zhang Chunqiao, and Wang Hongwen. With varying degrees of success, the Gang of Four were able to mold Chinese culture to fit Mao’s vision. Unfortunately, the Gang of Four's unquestionable power derived directly from Mao alone, and when Mao passed they were arrested and tried for their crimes committed during the cultural revolution. The Gang of Four would become a scapegoat for why the cultural revolution failed and a …show more content…
She was an active member of the CCP in shanghi and she even visited CCP headquarters in Yan’an in the Shaanxi province of china. In 1939 Qing married rising CCP party member Mao Zedong. Some party members disagreed with this marriage initially, but went along with it as they were ensured Jiang would never play a role in politics. This would prove to be a lie when Qing seriously entered politics in 1960’s. In 1948 Jiang became head of the CCP’s propaganda department. In the summer of 1966, Jian and Yao Wenyuan initiated the Gang of Four activities with the publishing of an article denouncing “Hai Rui Dismissed from Office” which according to Jiang contained anti-Mao rhetoric. This marked the official start of Jiang activities in the Gang of Four(CITE FROM INFOBASE). Yao Wenyuan was born on January 12, 1931. Similarly to Qing, Yao found his way into the CCP as a shanghai literary critic. In Shanghai he became known for his attacks on fellow colleagues and was best known for his collaboration with Qing on the “Hai Rui Dismissed from Office” article. This article launched his career as a well known, loyal communist(find source). Zhang Chunqiao was born on February 1st, 1917.