Great Upheavals in 1976
In January of 1976, our Premier, Zhou Enlai died, causing a great upheaval in the Communist Party. Zhou Enlai was considered to be one of the wisest and best of the Communist leaders. He was educated in Japan and France and maintained a world perspective for China. One of his early positions in the CCP was as director of an important military academy. This made him instrumental in both the political and military development of Chinese Communism. During the Cultural Revolution he tried to moderate Mao’s policies and ideas because they often differed in both philosophy and detail. Zhou Enlai was responsible for getting first Henry Kissinger and then President Nixon to China in 1972. He was a close friend and supporter of Deng Xiaoping who later became another positive leader of China encouraging modernization and economic liberalization.
There are always problems and drama. First, Deng Xiaoping was held responsible for the protest at the mass memorial for Zhou. Tens of thousands of mourners were violently dispersed after they protested the influence of the Gang of Four in addition to grieving the loss of Zhou Enlai.
Mao suffered two heart attacks, one in May and another in June. In July, in Dangshan, a northern industrial city there occurred violent earthquakes where 700,000 people died as was reported by government sources. Then Mao ZeDong died on September 9, in Beijing.
Many people felt that probably “the God” must be angry with China. To others, it did not make sense. There was hope for many with the deaths of our leaders, especially Mao, but people wondered why “the God” would demand that so many good and honest people be buried alive?
Another great political force in China was called the “Gang of Four” and it fell from power the same year less than a month after Mao’s death. Millions of people felt that they had been saved and our nation seemed to join in jubilation. This “Gang of Four” including Jiang Qing (Mao’s wife), and her three closest associates abused their powers for over 30 years. Once Mao died, the others fell right away. They were placed under arrest on October 6. I never expected this “Gang of Four” to fall this way. Once their protector was gone their own communist party wanted them not only out of power, but totally out of public contact. No one really knew what had happened to them. These four individuals, who had killed many persons and often made life worse for the entire country, apparently went scot-free and were never exposed and criticized, they just disappeared from public view. But then, finally, in 1980 to 81 there was a “show trial” of Jiang Qing and her associates who claimed they only followed orders from Mao. They were spared execution, but remained in prison for the rest of their lives. Jiang Qing finally hanged herself.
A favorite with they in power of the past changed his identity became chairman of the board or general manager, perhaps modern time the capitalist has not exploited works the facts proved most unscrupulous person of the past, now were a person guilty of corruption, there is nothing strange about it, because put politics in command of past or corruption of now, all only start from one idea—be bent solely on profit. Capital construction section Guo exactly was a typical character. After Mao died he was a earliest man going corrupt, he was caught for the sake of collusion with unscrupulous merchant and corruption, and was expelled from the party, his son was arrested at not yet of age. He came to a disgraceful end was not an accidental phenomena. But I never forget four human lives getting killed by him.