March 19, 1914 - Jiang Qing
Her political ascent during the Cultural Revolution placed her at the center of one of the most destructive ideological campaigns in modern Chinese history, a period marked by mass persecution, forced relocations, and the systematic destruction of cultural heritage. As a leading member of the Gang of Four, she helped direct the purging of intellectuals, artists, and party officials deemed insufficiently revolutionary. The scale of suffering associated with the Cultural Revolution — estimated to have caused hundreds of thousands to millions of deaths — makes her a figure of considerable historical weight, even accounting for the collective nature of the leadership responsible.
From Wikipedia
Jiang Qing (March 1914 (1914-03) – 14 May 1991 (1991-05-15); also spelled as Chiang Ch'ing), born Li Yunhe, and briefly known by her stage name Lan Ping in the 1930s Shanghai, was a Chinese revolutionary, actress, and political figure. The fourth wife of Mao Zedong, she played a major role in the Cultural Revolution and led the Gang of Four.
Born into a declining family with an abusive father and a mother who worked as a domestic servant and sometime prostitute, Jiang joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1933. She pursued an acting career in Shanghai before going to Yan'an, where she married Mao in 1938. In the 1940s, she worked as Mao's personal secretary, and during the 1950s, she headed the Film Section of the Publicity Department.
Jiang wielded considerable influence during the Cultural Revolution. In 1969, she secured a seat on the Politburo. Following Mao's death, she was arrested and blamed for the upheavals of the Cultural Revolution.
- Last updated on .