Political and party leadership · Citizenship: China · People of the Mao era 1949–1976 — People | Cyber-Lenin

Political and party leadership Citizenship: China People of the Mao era 1949–1976 Clear all

13 people

By birth A–Z List Cards

Ye Jianying 叶剑英 From Whampoa instructor to marshal, the soldier who organised the arrest of the Gang of Four in 1976 and ended the Cultural Revolution Military command · People’s Republic of China state institutions 1897–1986
Chen Yi 陈毅 The poet-marshal who led the New Fourth Army and the Third Field Army and succeeded Zhou Enlai as foreign minister Diplomacy and international organization · People’s Republic of China state institutions 1901–1972
Xu Xiangqian 徐向前 Marshal who commanded the Fourth Front Army through Zhang Guotao’s split and as defence minister directed the 1979 war with Vietnam Military command · People’s Republic of China state institutions 1901–1990
Peng Zhen 彭真 Beijing mayor purged as the Cultural Revolution's first major target, then the architect of post-Mao China's legal-institutional foundations Political and party leadership · People’s Republic of China state institutions 1902–1997
Rao Shushi 饶漱石 The East China leader purged with Gao Gang in the “Gao–Rao anti-party alliance”, the People’s Republic’s first high-level purge Political and party leadership · People’s Republic of China state institutions 1903–1975
Gao Gang 高岗 The second-most powerful man in the CCP who wielded virtually autonomous power in Manchuria, then walked into Mao's trap and fell Economy, finance and planning · People’s Republic of China state institutions 1905–1954
Lin Biao 林彪 Mao's designated successor and the military genius who won the Chinese Civil War, third among the Ten Marshals Military command · People’s Republic of China state institutions 1907–1971
Li Xiannian 李先念 The finance chief who survived the Cultural Revolution, helped arrest the Gang of Four and became president; one of the “eight elders” Economy, finance and planning · People’s Republic of China state institutions 1909–1992
Yang Dezhi 杨得志 General who fought in Korea, commanded the Kunming region on the western front in 1979 and became chief of the General Staff Military command · People’s Republic of China state institutions 1911–1994
Jiang Qing 江青 From the Shanghai stage to the pinnacle of the Cultural Revolution: Mao's wife who led the Gang of Four and remade Chinese revolutionary art Ideology and propaganda · People’s Republic of China state institutions 1914–1991
Wang Dongxing 汪东兴 Mao’s bodyguard chief whose Zhongnanhai Unit 8341 arrested the Gang of Four, then pushed aside for the “two whatevers” Security, intelligence and policing · People’s Republic of China state institutions 1916–2015
Yao Wenyuan 姚文元 The Gang of Four’s theorist whose attack on Hai Rui Dismissed from Office opened the Cultural Revolution; the critic nicknamed “the cudgel” Ideology and propaganda · People’s Republic of China state institutions 1931–2005
Wang Hongwen 王洪文 The Shanghai worker-rebel who rose “like a helicopter” to party vice-chairman, youngest of the Gang of Four Political and party leadership · People’s Republic of China state institutions 1935–1992