Ep. 86 | The Cultural Revolution (Part 4)
The second half of 1966 and into 1967 saw some of the worst excesses of the Cultural Revolution. In this episode, the violence spreads throughout China and anyone with something to hide about their class background is tracked down and forced to endure the most horrible of fates.
Mao is liking what he sees and keeps fanning the flames using all the tools at his disposal. Opportunists from the CCRG down to the meanest individuals with petty grievances all grab hold of this chance that the Cultural Revolution has given them to get back at their enemies.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Chen Yi | 陈毅 | Great CCP military man, Shanghai mayor and Foreign minister |
| Dazibao | 大字报 | Big Character Poster |
| Gongye xue Daqing | 工业学大庆 | In Industry, study Daqing (China’s largest oil field and refinery) |
| Guan Feng | 关风 | CCRG member |
| Hongshaorou | 红烧肉 | Pork with Hongshao sauce |
| Jiang Qing | 江青 | Mao’s wife and CCRG deputy leader, also part of Gang of Four |
| Jinggangshan | 井冈山 | Mountains by the Jiangxi-Hunan border. Here is where the Red Army was born and where the survivors of the Shanghai Massacre fled to in 1927 |
| Kang Sheng | 康生 | Advisor to the CCRG |
| Kangxi | 康熙 | Qing dynasty emperor, reigned 1661-1722 |
| Laobaixing | 老百姓 | The Chinese people (old hundred surnames) |
| Nongye Xue Dazhai | 农业学大寨 | In Agriculture learn from Dazhai (a model commune) |
| Qin Benyu | 戚本禹 | CCRG member |
| Qufu | 曲阜 | Birthplace of Confucius, located between Jinan and Jining in Shandong |
| Shaoshan | 韶山 | Birthplace of Chairman Mao Zedong |
| Tan Zhenlin | 谭震林 | Great PLA Commissar and politician |
| Wang Hongwen | 王洪文 | Obscure worker from Shanghai (originally Jilin) who rose to the heights of power, also part of Gang of Four |
| Wang Li | 王力 | CCRG member |
| Xu Xiangqian | 徐向前 | Great PLA Military man |
| Yan’an | 延安 | The city in Shaanxi where the CCP regrouped after the Long March |
| Yao Wenyuan | 姚文元 张春桥 | CCRG member and later part of Gang of Four |
| Zhang Chunqiao | 张春桥 | CCRG member and later part of Gang of Four |
| Zhongnanhai | 中南海 | Compound adjacent to the Forbidden City where China’s highest leaders lived |
| Zunyi | 遵义 | City in Guizhou 贵州 Province. Site of an historic conference where Mao assumed leadership of the CCP. |
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Related Episodes
Thanks everyone for listening to this History of Taiwan series. We'll conclude things here in Part 15.