Smashing the Gang of Four

Lore & Background

After Mao Zedong’s death, a power struggle emerged among three main factions within the Chinese Communist Party: the “whatever faction” led by Hua Guofeng, the “old guard faction” led by Ye Jianying, and the “Cultural Revolution faction” represented by Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan, Wang Hongwen, and Mao Yuanxin. The Gang of Four retained control over government media, publishing articles emphasizing “principles laid down” by Mao, a phrase of disputed canonical status. Urban militia units commanded by radical supporters were placed on heightened readiness. Wang Hongwen attempted to bypass the Politburo by setting up a “Central Office Duty Room” in Zhongnanhai, instructing provinces to report directly to his staff. Hua Guofeng learned of this from a phone call and, after consulting Ye, ordered the room closed in the name of the Politburo. Hua then secretly met with Li Xiannian, asking him to convey to Ye the need to resolve the Gang of Four issue. Li later met Ye under the pretext of visiting a botanical garden. Hua convened a meeting with key figures, where Ji Dengkui suggested treating the radicals differently, leading Hua to exclude him from the plan. After further discussions, including a late-night meeting following a film screening, the decision was made to arrest the group. At a tense Politburo meeting on September 29, Jiang Qing insisted she be named party chairman, but Hua attacked the radicals’ media line. The bloodless coup occurred on October 6, 1976, in Zhongnanhai, when Hua, Ye, Wang Dongxing, and other military and party figures arrested the Gang of Four and Mao Yuanxin. The next morning, Hua was elected acting party chairman and acting chairman of the Central Military Commission at a secret enlarged Politburo meeting, effectively ending the Cultural Revolution. The Gang of Four and their followers were later politically purged, with some facing criminal prosecution.

Reader's Guide

The smashing of the Gang of Four, also referred to as the Huairen Hall incident or the October 6 Coup, was a bloodless coup d'état carried out in Zhongnanhai, Beijing, on 6 October 1976. Premier Hua Guofeng allied with Central Military Commission Vice Chairmen Ye Jianying and Wang Dongxing, along with other key figures in the Chinese Communist Party, the government, and the People’s Liberation Army, to arrest and detain the Gang of Four—Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan, Wang Hongwen—as well as Mao Yuanxin, Mao Zedong’s nephew and liaison to the Central Committee. The following morning, at a secret enlarged Politburo meeting, Hua was elected acting chairman of both the CCP and the Central Military Commission, effectively ending the Cultural Revolution. The Gang of Four and their followers subsequently faced political purges and criminal prosecutions. The event resolved a power struggle that had intensified after Mao’s death, with three major factions—the “whatever faction” led by Hua, the “old guard faction” led by Ye, and the “Cultural Revolution faction” led by Jiang—competing over policy direction. In the weeks prior, the Gang of Four had controlled state media, publishing articles on “principles laid down” by Mao, while their urban militia units were placed on heightened alert. Wang Hongwen attempted to set up a separate command center in Zhongnanhai, bypassing the Politburo, but Hua, alerted by a provincial official, coordinated with Ye to shut it down. Hua secretly enlisted Li Xiannian to consult Ye, and later secured support from key military and party figures. After a series of clandestine meetings, the coalition decided on arrest as the method of action, culminating in the coup that fundamentally altered China’s political trajectory.

Did You Know?

• The coup is also called the Huairen Hall incident, the Huairen Hall coup, or the October 6 Coup.
• Mao Yuanxin, Mao Zedong's nephew, was arrested along with the Gang of Four.