Chinese Gang of Four | History, Significance & Facts

After suffering for several years from cancer, Zhou Enlai died in January 1976. The Gang of Four attempted to suppress public grieving for who many believed to be a hero of the Communist Revolution. Deng Xiaoping was sidelined and Hua Guofeng, one of the leaders of the Cultural Revolution's apparatuses was selected to be next in line as Premier. Hua Guofeng, however, did not like the excesses of the Cultural Revolution and soon clashed with the Gang of Four.

In April, a large crowd of civilians marched in Tiananmen Square to publicly grieve for Zhou Enlai, as well as denounce the Gang of Four for insulting him. When the Gang of Four sent army forces to dismiss the grievers, a clash erupted. While there was no massacre, this did demonstrate that many people opposed the Gang of Four. Seeing this as a threat to their power, the Gang of Four kicked Deng Xiaoping out of office and Hua Guofeng was named as the new Vice Chairman.

In September 1976, Mao died. This opened up new opportunities for the moderates to claw back to power. Hua Guofeng and Jiang Qing (Mao's widow) clashed at Politburo meetings. Both made outreaches to the army, but it was Hua Guofeng who was successful, forging an alliance with military chief Ye Jianying. Unsuspecting, the three men of the Gang of Four were invited to a meeting, then betrayed by guards, who arrested them. Jiang Qing, meanwhile, was arrested in her home. Other army units detained the other Maoists. So, by mid-October, Hu Guofeng had seized power in a coup.

After several years of imprisonment, the Gang of Four faced trial in 1981. All were found guilty and imprisoned for life. While Jiang Qing and Wang Hongwen died in prison, Zhang and Yao were released early and died in 2005.

With the Gang of Four out of power, the moderate communists now held power. Hua Guofeng remained as Chairman until 1981 but was soon surpassed by Deng Xiaoping. Ruling as the foremost leader with one title or another until his retirement in the late 1980s, Deng Xiaoping oversaw key reforms to government policy. Most notably, he loosened the government's control over the economy, allowing enterprises to grow profitable. China's modern-day prosperity can be traced back to those reforms.

• They were the key supporters of the Cultural Revolution, which killed millions of people
• They purged their political rivals, seizing power in the name of Mao
• They were ultimately overthrown in a coup, leading the way to the moderation of Deng Xiaoping

Ultimately, the Gang of Four is responsible for a significant amount of bloodshed and evil. The violence of the Cultural Revolution was carried out by army units and Maoist extremists on the ground. Nevertheless, the Gang of Four holds much responsibility.

• Jiang Qing, also known as Lan Ping, who was Mao's wife
• Zhang Chunqiao, a Maoist ideologue who soon rose to the ranks of the Politburo, the highest council of China
• Yao Wenyuan, the foremost Maoist propagandist and a member of the Politburo
• Wang Hongwen, the Vice Chairman of the Communist Party

The Gang of Four ultimately lost power soon after the death of Mao. While they celebrated the death of Premier Zhou Enlai, a moderate, and the removal from power of his ally, Deng Xiaoping, they were arrested in a coup organized by Hua Guofeng. After their topple from power, they were tried and imprisoned, while the moderates governed China thereafter.