Wang Hongwen
Wang Hongwen was a thin, somewhat childish-looking man who rose suddenly from a textile factory cadre to the national leadership. Wang Hongwen was handsome and had a reputation as a lavish playboy. He had a very close relationship with Jiang Qing, and was completely under her control. There is no conclusive evidence to prove that they had a sexual relationship. Wang Hongwen (Wang Zhang Jiang Yao), was a Shanghai rebel worker who was promoted to vice chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China during the Cultural Revolution. The "Gang of Four" refers to the gang formed by Wang Hongwen , Zhang Chunqiao , Jiang Qing and Yao Wenyuan during the Cultural Revolution.
Wang Hongwen (1935-1992) was born into a poor peasant family in Jilin, northeast China, in 1934 or 1935 — different versions of the story vary. Because of his poor family, Wang Hongwen only attended private school for three months, and then worked as a herdsman for his uncle's family to supplement the family income.
He joined the Chinese People's Liberation Army in 1950. He later went to Korea to participate in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea. He joined the Communist Party of China in 1951. After demobilization, he went to Shanghai to work as a worker in the 17th Cotton Textile Factory. After that, he worked as an officer in the Security Department of the 17th Shanghai Cotton Textile Factory. In March 1960, Wang Hongwen was seconded to the factory security section to do militia work and became the militia company commander.
In 1966, Mao Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution and encouraged the people to "bombard the headquarters". Responding to the "Cultural Revolution", On 12 June 1966, a large-character poster titled "Peel Off the Painting to See the Truth" drafted by seven people including Wang Hongwen and signed by Wang Hongwen was posted on the large-character poster board next to the infirmary of the 17th National Cotton Factory.
In November 1966, he initiated the organization of the "Shanghai Workers' Revolutionary Rebel General Headquarters" and became the commander. He created the "Anting Incident" in Shanghai on 10 November 1966, where people lay on the tracks to stop trains, and threatened the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China. On 30 December 1966, with the support of Zhang Chunqiao , Wang Hongwen and more than 100,000 people besieged Kangping Road , the residence of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China , creating the " Kangping Road Incident ".
This incident became the beginning of large-scale violence in the Cultural Revolution. Subsequently, he gathered militants to beat, smash, rob, and criticize old cadres, creating armed struggles. Shanghai was transformed into a revolutionary stronghold. Even the traffic lights were changed to red lights for go and green lights for stop, because red was the color of revolution.
In early 1967, he colluded with Zhang Chunqiao and Yao Wenyuan to create the "January Storm" in Shanghai, which started a power-grabbing trend. He organized the Shanghai Revolutionary Committee, became the deputy director, and served as the director of the Revolutionary Committee of the 17th National Cotton Mill. In 1968, the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China was re-established, and he served as the third secretary. Later, he served as the director of the Shanghai Workers' Representative Conference, the director of the Shanghai Federation of Trade Unions, and the political commissar of the Shanghai Garrison District.
On October 1, 1968, as the leader of the Shanghai National Day delegation, he was personally received by Mao Zedong. According to Xu Jingxian 's point of view: After Mao Zedong met with Wang Hongwen, he began to favor Wang Hongwen and came up with the idea of promoting new forces from workers. Wang Hongwen attended the 12th Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on October 13, 1968. Then at the closing meeting on October 31, Mao Zedong said to all participants: "Introduce a person. This person's name is Wang Hongwen. Stand up and take a look."
In April 1969, he was elected as a member of the Central Committee at the Ninth National Congress of the Communist Party of China. In August 1973, he was elected as a member of the Central Committee, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, a member of the Standing Committee, and a vice chairman of the Central Committee at the Tenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China. At the same time, he served as a member of the Standing Committee of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China. He actively participated in Jiang Qing's activities to seize the highest power of the party and the state, and became one of the core figures of Jiang Qing's counter-revolutionary group.
After Wang Hongwen became vice chairman of the CPC Central Committee, Mao Zedong placed high hopes on him. From September 12, 1973 to May 29, 1974, Mao Zedong asked Wang Hongwen to accompany him 16 times to meet with visiting foreign heads of state and government in order to establish his image on various occasions, improve his popularity, and increase his reputation. political activity experience. On August 28, Mao Zedong was absent from the closing ceremony of the Tenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China due to physical illness and entrusted Wang Hongwen to vote on his behalf. Therefore, Wang Hongwen is widely considered to be Mao Zedong's second successor after Lin Biao.
He was once considered by the outside world to be Mao Zedong's successor. However, due to Wang Hongwen's lack of qualifications and weak political ability, he was ignored by senior officials after being criticized by Mao Zedong for "engaging in the Gang of Four." Wang Hongwen was not used to meeting, talking, and reviewing documents all day long. He claimed that he had a "headache" whenever he read Marxist-Leninist works and newspapers. Wang Hongwen liked high-end cigarettes, high-end wines, high-end clothes, and luxury cars. Wang Hongwen loved to drink Maotai liquor. He liked to drive a motorcycle along Zhongnanhai. Hunting, shooting, and fishing were Wang Hongwen's three major hobbies. He rode a jeep in the grass at the airport to hunt rabbits at night. He also liked to play poker for half the night.
From 1974 to 1975, he formed the "Gang of Four" with Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao, and Yao Wenyuan, launched the campaign to criticize Lin and Confucius, and attacked a group of older generation proletarian revolutionaries represented by Zhou Enlai, opposed Deng Xiaoping's presiding over the daily work of the Central Committee, and attempted to replace him. Subsequently, he actively participated in the bloody suppression of the April 5th mass movement in Tiananmen Square, Beijing. Soon after, he personally went to Shanghai to establish a armed force under his direct control in order to deal with the anti-Cultural Revolution forces, and planned to instigate the Shanghai militia riot.
On September 9, 1976, Mao Zedong died, and Wang Hongwen became the second-ranked leader within the CCP, second only to Hua Guofeng, the first vice-chairman of the CPC Central Committee. Wang Hongwen was the most junior and youngest member of the "Gang of Four". It was speculated that the reason why he fully confessed to the court was due to his low mental endurance and the use of torture to extract a confession.
On October 7, 1976, he was detained and investigated by the decision of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. it was speculated that the reason why he fully confessed to the court was due to his low mental endurance and the use of torture to extract a confession. Wang Hongwen recognized all the criminal cases accused by the court and said, "I am guilty and I want to plead guilty to the people of the whole country."
In July 1977, the Third Plenary Session of the 10th CPC Central Committee decided to expel him from the party forever and remove him from all his posts inside and outside the party. The resolution proposed: Wang Hongwen, as the backbone of a counter-revolutionary conspiracy group, has long been engaged in conspiracy activities to "split the party and usurp the party and seize power." And based on a large amount of evidence verified through investigation, Wang Hongwen has been identified as a "bourgeois careerist, conspirator, counter-revolutionary double-dealer, and new bourgeois element."
On January 25, 1981, the Special Court of the Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China sentenced Wang Hongwen to life imprisonment and deprived him of his political rights for life. He died of illness on August 3, 1992. Xinhua said he died of liver disease. The report said he was "sent to hospital for treatment after falling ill in 1986", suggesting he may have been released from prison six years ago and had been under house arrest in a hospital or at home since then.
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