Key People of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution

Paramount Leader of China from 1949 until his death in 1976

The son of Mao's younger brother, Mao Zemin, he was soon raised by his uncle's family following the execution by his father in Xinjiang by warlord Sheng Shicai. In 1975, he was called to Beijing, where he quickly began to usurp of the positions of Mao's previous liaisons to the Politburo. He was crucial in convincing Mao to support the campaigns against the Moderate Faction and in suppressing the 1976 Tiananmen Incident. Closely associated with the Gang of Four, he was arrested in 1976, expelled from the Party in 1979, and sentenced to a 17 year prison term in 1986.

First meeting Mao sometime during the early 1960s, she was rumored to be intimately involved with the Chairman. In 1970, she was sent to Beijing to become Mao's private secretary. With Mao's worsening health, she became the only person who could understand Mao as his words became increasing unintelligible. After Mao's death, she was transferred to another post

Originally an English interpreter, she soon became on of Mao's principal liaisons with the Party alongside Wang Hairong after his health deteriorated significantly in the early 1970s. She soon became one of the only people who could speak with Mao directly, increasing the Party's dependence on her. She was appointed to the Central Committee as an Alternate in 1974 and was given a post in the Foreign Ministry. She was arrested after the Eleventh Congress, but was soon transferred to lesser positions within the government

Premier of China from 1949 until his death in 1976

Labeled as China's number two Capitalist Roader and sent to a Tractor factory to preform manual labor. In 1973, he was briefly rehabilitated and was given the position of Vice-Premier until he was purged again following the 1976 Tiananmen Incident. He was rehabilitated in 1977 and became Paramount Leader in 1978

After rising to prominence following the Yan'an Rectification Campaign, he assumed the role as Mao's successor. With the disastrous Great Leap Forward, he took over the position of State Chairman from Mao, where he used his position to moderate the policies of the Leap. At the start of the Cultural Revolution, he was labeled as a Chinese Khrushchev and the number one Capitalist Roader in the Party. He was soon imprisoned and tortured, dying in 1969

Appointed deputy premier of the State Council in 1965, he was put in charge of the government's propaganda department following Lu Dingyi's purge. Also appointed a member of the Central Cultural Revolution Small Group, he assumed a more moderate position, attempting along with the premier to minimize the disorder caused by the Cultural Revolution. This alienated him from the Radical faction, causing him to be purged in 1967. He died in 1969 and was rehabilitated in 1978

Originally first Party Secretary of Beijing, his support for Wu Han and the February Outline which regulated the debate on Hai Rui Dismissed from Office to be academic and not political made him one of the first victims of the Cultural Revolution. Alongside Propaganda chief Lu Dingyi, People's Liberation Army Chief of Staff Luo Ruiqing, and Director of the General Office Yang Shangkun, he was criticized as being a part of an anti-Party clique. He was later rehabilitated after Mao's death, becoming a dominant voice in Chinese politics as one of the Eight Elders until his death in 1997

Key military leader within the People's Liberation Army and one of the Ten Marshals. He was one of the main military leaders that participated in the February Countercurrent of 1967, which criticized the Cultural Revolution. He was soon sidelined from the military, but was allowed to retain his seat in the Politburo. Following the fall of Lin Biao, he assumed a more dominant role in military affairs until he was briefly removed from power in 1976. He later played a pivotal role in arresting the Gang of Four

Fourth Wife of Mao Zedong and one of the leading members of the Gang of Four. In 1965, she was sent to Shanghai to execute an attack on Deputy Mayor of Beijing Wu Han, which culminated in the Cultural Revolution. She then assumed the role as Deputy head of the Central Cultural Revolution Small Group and dominated China's cultural sphere. She was pivotal in the downfalls of Lin Biao and members of the Pragmatic Faction until she was arrested in 1976, eventually dying by suicide in prison in 1991

A leftist writer in Shanghai, he was one of the key people responsible for launching the attack on Wu Han, which led to the Cultural Revolution. He played a pivotal role in the January Storm, establishing the Shanghai Commune in 1967. He served as one of the leading theorists of Mao Zedong Thought and was promoted to the Politburo in 1969 and the position of vice premier in 1975. As a member of the Gang of Four, he was arrested in 1976, later dying in 2005 after being released from prison in 1998

Previously a security officer at a textile factory, after leading the Workers Command Post group in the Anting incident, which led to the January Storm, he was later elected to the Ninth Central Committee in 1969. After the fall of Lin Biao, he was transferred to Beijing in 1972, where he was groomed to become Mao's new successor. However, Mao's disappointment in his capabilities led him to be pushed aside as a candidate, choosing someone else instead. As a member of the Gang of Four, he was arrested in 1976, dying in prison in 1992

Author of the criticism of Wu Han's play which led to the start of the Cultural Revolution. Throughout the Cultural Revolution, he served as one of Mao's primary theorists, helping to formulate concepts such as Continuous Revolution. By 1970, with the purge of many radicals, he came to dominate the propaganda sector. A member of the Gang of Four, he was arrested in 1976 where he was given a 20 year prison term in 1981. After being released in 1996, he died in 2005

After becoming one of the Party's leading theorists and assisting in the drafting of the May 16th Circular, he became a member of the Central Cultural Revolutionary Small Group. After being taken and beaten in the Wuhan Incident, he returned to Beijing, where he began to take a more active role in interfering in Foreign and Military affairs. As this upset Party leaders, he was purged alongside other radicals Guan Feng and Qi Benyu. He was later expelled from the Party in 1980 and was released from prison in 1982

During the Yan'an Rectification Campaign in the 1940s, he used his role as one of the leading members of the Security and Intelligence branch of the Party to consolidate power around Mao. After serving a number of non-prominent roles until the early 1960s, he was made one of the leading members of the Central Special Case Examination Group during the Cultural Revolution, where he again used his position to purge Mao's perceived enemies. He died in 1975 being the 4th ranking member of the Party leadership and was expelled from the Party in 1980

In his role as Minister of State Security, he was responsible for gathering fabricated evidence to take down veteran Party members and protect other members of the Radical Faction. The production of the Six Regulations of Public Security under his orders led to the imprisonment and torture of innocent people accused of being Counterrevolutionaries. He was appointed a regular Politburo member in 1969, which he held until his death in 1972. He was posthumously expelled from the Party in 1981

Originally a secretary of Mao, he was one of the primary drafters of Mao's speeches and political theories. At the start of the Cultural Revolution, he was appointed the head of the Central Cultural Revolution Small Group where he executed Mao's policies. By 1970, a rift developed between him and Mao's wife, drifting him towards the Military Faction. After the debate at Lushan over whether to enshrine Mao's genius in the Constitution and to restore the State Chairmanship, he was purged as a scapegoat He was later formally sentenced to a 18 year prison term in 1980 and died in 1989, shortly after being released

Minister of Defense since 1959, and one of the Ten Marshals, his expansion of Mao Zedong's cult of personality as well as his efforts to politicize the military under Mao Zedong Thought led to his promotion of Mao's close comrade in arms and successor. In 1971, he died mysteriously in a plane crash after an alleged coup attempt codenamed project 571

Wife of the Minister of Defense who was one of the key members of the Military Faction. According to her daughter, Lin Liheng, she had a dominating role over her husband due to his reported mental instability. In 1971, she died alongside her husband and her son, Lin Liguo in a plane crash

Military leader who was held the position of Commander of the People's Liberation Army Air Force alongside other military positions, he was dubbed one of the four Guardian Warriors of Mao's successor and promoted to the Politburo in 1969. In 1971, he was arrested following the death of Mao's successor and later sentenced to 17 years in prison in 1981

Held the position of Commissioner of the Navy alongside positions in the Central Military Commission. He was dubbed one of the four Guardian Warriors of Mao's successor and promoted to the Politburo in 1969. In 1971, he was arrested following the death of Mao's successor and later sentenced to 17 years in prison in 1981

Held the position of Director of the General Logistics Department of the People's Liberation Army alongside positions in the Central Military Commission. He was dubbed one of the four Guardian Warriors of Mao's successor and promoted to the Politburo in 1969. In 1971, he was arrested following the death of Mao's successor and later sentenced to 17 years in prison in 1981

Originally the Chairman of the Guangdong Revolutionary Committee in 1968, he was promoted to Chief of Staff of the People's Liberation Army and became the head of the Central Military Commission Administrative Group He was dubbed one of the four Guardian Warriors of Mao's successor and promoted to the Politburo in 1969. In 1971, he was arrested following the death of Mao's successor and later sentenced to 17 years in prison in 1981

Following the death of the premier in 1976, he was elevated to the position. Following Mao's death, he succeeded him as Party Chairman and Chairman of the Central Military Commission using Mao's supposed words, "With you in charge, I am at ease" to justify his new role. By 1978, he lost his preeminence, losing his positions of premier and Party Chairman in 1980 and 1981 respectively

Previously in charge of the security of the central leadership, he was promoted to Director of the General Office following its previous holder's purge in 1965. In 1968, he was further given the positions of chief of the Central Committee Security Bureau and the People's Liberation Army General Staff Bureau. After Mao's death, as a member of the Beneficiaries Faction, he was removed from all prominent positions after losing a power struggle in 1980

After serving as the top official of Jilin Province since 1955, he was transferred to Beijing, and by 1973 he was appointed the First Secretary of Beijing. During the 1976 Tiananmen Incident, he was one of the main officials responsible in its suppression. As one of the key beneficiaries of the Cultural Revolution, he resigned from all his prominent positions in 1980 after losing a power struggle

Transferred to Beijing in 1968 after serving as a vice chairman of the Henan Revolutionary Committee and put in charge of China's agricultural production in 1970. He was given a position in the Central Military Commission Administrative Group within the same year and later promoted to vice premier of the State Council in 1975. As one of the key beneficiaries of the Cultural Revolution, he resigned from all his prominent positions in 1980 after losing a power struggle

Served as the commander of Shenyang Military Region from 1959 until he was given the command of the Beijing Military Region in 1973. In 1976 he was put in charge of the day-to-day work of the Central Military Commission. As one of the key beneficiaries of the Cultural Revolution, he resigned from all his prominent positions in 1980 after losing a power struggle

Farmer and Party secretary of the Dazhai Village, which was praised as a model unit of agriculture under Socialist policies. Wanting to increase representation of the "masses" instead of intellectuals and Party elites within the government, he was promoted to the position of Vice Premier of the State Council in 1975. Holding no real political power and after the fall of the Beneficiaries, he lost his position of Vice Premier in 1980