Yao Wenyuan

Yao Wenyuan

Yao Wenyuan (December 11, 1931 - December 23, 2005), male, from Zhuji, Zhejiang Province, one of the members of the gang of four, is the principal criminal in the case of Lin Biao and Jiang Qing's counter revolutionary group.

He joined the Communist Party of China in 1948. He has successively served in the Chinese Writers Association, the Youth League Working Committee of Luwan District, Shanghai, the Propaganda Department of Luwan District, Shanghai Liberation Daily and the Policy Research Office of Shanghai municipal Party committee. He has been a member of the leading group of the cultural revolution of the CPC Central Committee since 1966. At the beginning of 1967, Zhang Chunqiao and Wang Hongwen, together, created a "January storm" in Shanghai and seized power throughout the country. After that, he served as deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Revolutionary Committee and second secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee. In April 1969, he was elected a member of the CPC Central Committee at the Ninth National Congress of the CPC. In August 1973, he was elected as a member of the CPC Central Committee, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and member of the organization and propaganda group of the CPC Central Committee. He once served as the editorial board member of sprout magazine, literature monthly and Jiefang Daily.

In 1976, together with Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao and Wang Hongwen, they conspired to usurp the supreme power of the party and the state. On October 7, 1976, he was isolated and examined by the decision of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. In 1977, the Third Plenary Session of the 10th CPC Central Committee passed the resolution on Wang Hongwen, Zhang Chunqiao, Jiang Qing and Yao Wenyuan's anti party clique, which permanently expelled him from the party and removed him from all posts inside and outside the party. In 1981, he was convicted by the special court of the Supreme People's court as the principal criminal of the Jiangqing counter revolutionary group. He was guilty of leading the counter revolutionary group, plotting to subvert the government, carrying out counter revolutionary propaganda, inciting, falsely accusing and framing. According to law, he was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment and five years' deprivation of political rights. He was released from prison in October 1996.

He died on December 23, 2005.

Life of the characters

Before the Cultural Revolution

In 1955, Zhang Chunqiao paid attention to his critical article "distinguish right from wrong, draw a clear line" (the 1st and 2nd issue of literary journal in 1955). As early as the mid-1950s, Mao Zedong appreciated his left literary and historical views. In the anti rightist and cultural revolution, Yao Wenyuan's masterpieces were seen by many people, which is interesting to think. When a group of great scholars were careful not to write articles and secretly expressed their feelings with fables, Yao Wenyuan came out. His articles were thunderous, serious, alarmist, mysterious and lively. You can feel that when you read his articles, he must write It's very enjoyable. According to some scholars' rough statistics, only in the anti rightist movement and within the scope of Shanghai, Yao Wenyuan criticized Wang ruowang, Xu maoyong, Shi Zhecun, Xu Jie, Xu Zhongyu, recklessness, Liushahe and others. Two examples of Yao style Qiwen. First, it begins with a sweeping piece of "since the Rightists launched an attack on the party, they have poured their greatest hatred on the Communist Party. Whether it is Chu Anping's "party world", Ge Peiqi's "killing the Communist Party", Xu Zhongnian's crow, Shi Zhecun's "talent and virtue" No matter how much rhetoric there is, the sword is aimed at the leadership of the party. " (attitude towards party leaders is the touchstone for distinguishing rightists) second, it is vivid and pungent: "if Shi Zhecun shoots at the Communist Party with insidious cold arrows, and Xu Zhongnian cuts at the Communist Party with a knife in his hand shaking with hatred, then recklessness is to climb and roll on the ground, to spread out his hair, and to rush at the Communist Party and the Democratic People close to the Communist Party with rogue means - this is a case in point It is a new tactic of attacking the party. " (what's the trick played by recklessness) it was recalled that Yao Wenyuan wrote a composition when he was a child, and he was laughed and commented by his Chinese teacher: in order to pursue the effect of the article (touching or amazing), to write a composition, one must die. This is like a metaphor or prophecy. At this time, the provocation of Yao's style can not be underestimated. The son of Yao pengzi, who used to call "Uncle Shi" respectfully when he saw Shi Zhecun, was already a great imperial scholar appreciated by Zhang Chunqiao. According to Mao Zedong's opinion, Yao Wenyuan published the review of the newly edited historical play Hai Rui's dismissal in Shanghai Wen Wei Po on November 10, 1965, and the review of the reactionary nature of "San Jia Cun" -- "Yan Shan Ye Hua" and "notes on San Jia Cun" in Jiefang Daily and Wen Wei Po on May 10, 1966, which opened the prelude to the cultural revolution and set the tone for a series of judgments of the cultural revolution. He served as editor in chief of red flag magazine and was in charge of ideology (1970; replaced Chen Boda who collapsed); he participated in and organized political movements such as "criticizing Lin and Confucius" and "Water Margin", criticizing Deng for fighting against the trend of rightist overturning cases. He is the director of the imperial writing team such as Chi Heng.

After the Cultural Revolution

Two strange letters

1976 is the "eventful autumn" of Chinese contemporary history. In January of that year, Premier Zhou Enlai passed away. In April, the "four five movement" broke out in Tiananmen Square, with the main stream of mourning Zhou Enlai, supporting Deng Xiaoping and opposing the "Gang of four". However, the "fourth five movement" was suppressed. The "two strange letters" are related to the suppression of the "fourth five year movement" and Hua Guofeng's becoming the first vice chairman of the CPC Central Committee and Premier of the State Council.

On April 12, 1976, the seventh day after the Tiananmen Square incident was suppressed, the people's daily department received an anonymous letter. On the top of the envelope, it said "people's daily always receives it", and on the back of the envelope, it said "please accept it from Goebbels".

At that time, a person in charge of the people's daily opened it and found that inside the envelope was the people's Daily published on April 8, 1976, which carried the article "the counter revolutionary political incident in Tiananmen Square". The sender put a big black cross on the "people" in the front of the newspaper, and then added the word "rumor". Then the sender wrote the following note in the blank of the newspaper: "shocking! The party newspaper has fallen! Become the mouthpiece of a small group of fascist careerists and conspirators It's a poem you made up. Take Tiananmen Square as an example. Who doesn't know Jiang family's court? The "arson case in Congress" you played is really not brilliant. Can a false report confuse the public and deceive the people? From now on: organ newspaper of fascist party. Down with Zhang, Jiang and Yao who are ambitious and schemers

Lu Ying, the person in charge of the people's daily at that time, helped to open the letter. Lu Ying's face changed greatly after reading it. He thought deeply for a while and told the person in charge of the people's Daily who opened the letter to strictly block the news and not to tell anyone else. Then, Lu Ying got on the car and galloped to Yao Wenyuan's house. As soon as Lu Ying saw Yao Wenyuan, he submitted the anonymous letter, including the contents of the envelope, to the people's daily and said in a hurry: Comrade Wenyuan, look at this letter. It's extremely reactionary.

Yao Wenyuan's face turned blue and white as he read these words, but he pretended to be calm and put the people's daily in an envelope. Then he asked Lu Ying: who else knows about this? Lu Ying replied: no one knows except me and the person in charge of opening the letter.

Yao Wenyuan asked again: so only you, me and that Comrade know? Lu Ying said: Yes. Hearing Lu Ying say this, Yao Wenyuan took a breath. He told Lu Ying: this matter is only known to the three of us, and no one is allowed to tell. After seeing Lu Ying off, Yao Wenyuan locked the letter in his drawer. He did not give it to Hua Guofeng, who is already the first vice chairman of the CPC Central Committee and Premier of the State Council, or to Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao or Wang Hongwen.

In July 1976, Mao Zedong's illness worsened. Just then, Yao Wenyuan received another strange letter. The letter was transferred to Yao Wenyuan by Xie Lifu, head of Xinhua news agency, in late July. The letter was written by a reporter from the Henan Branch of Xinhua news agency. It was not opened. On the envelope, it said "dear comrade Yao Wenyuan.". When Yao Wenyuan opened the letter, he frowned immediately.

The main content of the letter is: during his convalescence in Beijing at the beginning of 1976, Ji Dengkui's son went to the hospital to see him and said something special. The main meaning of these remarks is that Chairman Mao is very ill and will not live for a few days. The politburo is a dispute between the new faction and the old faction. The old faction does not speak up because Chairman Mao is still alive. As long as Chairman Mao dies, they will do a lot of work. They have secretly colluded and made preparations. At that time, they will immediately declare Zhang Chunqiao a traitor and implement national military control, and then there will be a bloody storm. No matter who comes to power, the old and the new will bleed. But it's better for the old school to come to power. Ji Dengkui's son also told the person in charge of the Organization Department of the Henan provincial Party committee: go back and say hello to the provincial Party committee, and be prepared for the future.

The reporter from Henan Branch of Xinhua news agency who wrote the letter also asked Yao Wenyuan to read the letter and transfer it to Chairman Mao.

Yao Wenyuan read the letter three times. After seeing it, he thought again and again. He thought: Chairman Mao is seriously ill. I don't believe he is getting better. If he turns around, it will aggravate Chairman Mao's illness. He also considered whether to give the letter to Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao and Wang Hongwen or not? He thought it over and over again and finally decided not to show it to them.

Yao Wenyuan buckled the letter. What did he think?

According to Yao Wenyuan's explanation later, he thought that after Chairman Mao passed away, they (referring to the gang of four) might collapse. If the letter was only handed to Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao and Wang Hongwen, they would be completely tied up in the chariot of Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao and Wang Hongwen. If they were not handed this letter to them, they would watch the changes,

Chinese PinYin : Yao Wen Yuan