50th anniversary live-tweeting China's Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution.
China 1975
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7/10/76 Hua Guofeng says that while Deng Xiaoping deserved criticism, the Gang of Four used the campaign to try and "get at" today's leaders too.
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7/10/76 Senior PLA and regional leaders are invited to see Hua Guofeng and other Politburo members, to be briefed on the Gang of Four's arrest.
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7/10/76 Deng Xiaoping's son in law hears about the Gang of Four and rushes to Deng's home. In case of bugs, they run a bath while he tells the news.
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7/10/76 One-by-one, veteran cadres are gradually informed about the Gang of Four's arrest. Hua Guofeng tells General Wang Zhen. Wang tells Chen Yun.
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7/10/76 Wang Dongxing briefs Politburo members outside Beijing (Xu Shiyou, Li Desheng, Wei Guoqing and Saifuddin) by phone. They all express support.
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7/10/76 Hua Guofeng tells the Shanghai cadres that handling the Gang of Four slowly would have been unacceptable: "the national economy cannot wait".
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7/10/76 Ma Tianshui says that arresting the Gang of Four is a "palace coup" and self-criticism would be sufficient for the offences actually proven.
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7/10/76 In Beijing, Ma Tianshui is briefed on the Gang of Four's "crimes" and their arrest. He says that the evidence against them is not persuasive.
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7/10/76 In his underground cell, Yao Wenyuan berates guards and demands to know their unit and who they answer to. They respond contemptuously.
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7/10/76 Shanghai leader Ma Tianshui and its Garrison Commander are called to Beijing without details. Ye Jianying moves the 60th Army near the city.
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7/10/76 Shanghai's broadcasters alert local leaders that Beijing has told them not to play the "act according to the principles laid down" song.
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7/10/76 Despite Geng Biao banning the "principles laid down" quote, Central Radio inadvertently starts playing a song about it and has to let it run.
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7/10/76 Sharing a bedroom after the Politburo and giddy with adrenaline, Chen Xilian, Ji Dengkui and Chen Yonggui jump around punching each other.
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7/10/76 Finally, the Politburo discusses the final volume of Mao's Selected Works and a memorial hall. After, members stay at Ye Jianying's house.
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7/10/76 Ji Dengkui asks if Mao's qualified criticism of the Cultural Revolution should be revealed to explain the arrests. Ye Jianying says not yet.
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7/10/76 Hua Guofeng proposes Ye Jianying become Party Chairman. Ye cites his old age and declines, proposing Hua instead. Hua is elected unanimously.
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7/10/76 Ye Jianying says that the arrests' bloodlessness proves that the approach was right, and that some outside Beijing still need arresting.
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7/10/76 Invoking Marshals Nie Rongzhen and Xu Xiangqian's support, Ye Jianying asserts that the PLA supports them "eliminating" the Gang of Four.
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7/10/76 Ye Jianying tells the Politburo that Mao wanted the Gang of Four dealt with but died too soon, and the arrest is consistent with his wishes.
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