Jiang Qing

Lĭ Shūméng (Chinese: 李淑蒙) (March 1914 – May 14, 1991), known by the stage name Lán Píng (meaning "Blue Apple") (Chinese: 蓝苹) during her acting career but most commonly referred to by her revolutionary pseudonym as Jiāng Qīng (Chinese: 江青; Wade-Giles: Chiang Ch'ing), was the last wife of Chairman Mao Zedong of the People's Republic of China. Therefore, she is sometimes also referred to as Madame Mao in Western literature. Having married Mao in Yan'an in November 1938, she was Communist China's first first lady. Jiang Qing was most well-known for leading the Cultural Revolution and for forming the radical Maoist political alliance known as the "Gang of Four". During the Cultural Revolution Jiang Qing was named as the "Great Flag-carrier of the Proletarian Culture" (Chinese: 无产阶级伟大旗手), and became a prominent leader along with her colleague Lin Biao in state affairs. During the last years of Mao's life, Jiang Qing also served as his principal aide.

Around the time of Chairman Mao's death, Jiang Qing and her proteges effectively controlled nearly all of China's institutions, including the media and most of the government's central organs. As a result, she is often put in the same rank as Empress Wu Zetian, Empress Cixi, and other women, as a female ruler of China. However, Jiang Qing's political success was limited, and she was arrested in October 1976 by Hua Guofeng and his allies, and was subsequently accused of being counter-revolutionary. Since then, Jiang Qing and Lin Biao had been branded by official historical documents in China as the "Lin Biao and Jiang Qing Counter-revolutionary Group" (Chinese: 林彪江青反革命集团), to which most of the blame for the damage and devastation caused by the Cultural Revolution was assigned.

Early years

Jiang Qing was born as Lǐ Shūméng (Chinese: 李淑蒙) in Zhucheng (Chinese: 诸城), Shandong Province in 1914. Jiang Qing's father was called Li Dewen (Chinese: 李德文), who reputedly wanted a son, thus gave his daughter the name Lĭ Jìnhái (Chinese: 李进孩) in anticipation for a son. Jiang Qing, first known as Lĭ Yúnhè (meaning "Crane in the Clouds", Chinese: 李云鹤), grew up in the homes of her courtesan mother's rich lovers. She was an only child who was never doted upon and whose instincts were never curbed. In her early twenties, and after already exhausting two marriages, Jiang Qing went to university and studied literature and drama. Soon, Jiang Qing adopted the stage name "Lán Píng" (meaning "Blue Apple", Chinese: 蓝苹), and became a professional actress. She appeared in numerous films and plays, including "A Doll's House", "Big Thunderstorm", "God of Liberty", "The Scenery of City", "Blood on Wolf Mountain", and "Old Mr. Wang". In Ibsen's play, "A Doll's House", Jiang Qing played the role of Nora, who, after being accused of talking like a child and not understanding the world she lives in, replies, "No I don't [understand the world]. But now I mean to go into that... I must find out which is right - the world or I." Being out of sorts with the world was also Jiang Qing's experience, whose early life was fraught with harsh realities.^[clarify] Jiang Qing first married in Shandong, to a wealthy businessman, but became bored of the closed married life. She escaped to Shanghai, where she began reconstructing an acting career and was involved with Yu Qiwei.

At 23, Jiang Qing left her life on the stage behind and went to the Chinese Communist headquarters in Yan'an, ostensibly to study Marxist-Leninist theory at the Central Party School. There she met Mao Zedong, and married him in a small private ceremony. At the time, Mao had just returned from the Long March. They had a daughter Li Na in 1940. Because Mao's marriage to He Zizhen had not yet ceased, Jiang Qing was made to sign a marital contract which stipulated that she would not appear in public with Mao as his escort, effective twenty years.

Rise to power

In the 1950s Jiang Qing was involved with the Ministry of Culture. She emerged as a serious political figure when she criticized party leaders such as Liu Shaoqi, who favoured the introduction of piecework, greater wage differentials and measures that sought to undermine collective farms and factories. She became a member of the Politburo in 1969, and after she was appointed as the deputy director of the Cultural Revolution in 1966, Jiang Qing formed the Gang of Four with Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan and Wang Hongwen. From that point on, she was one of the most powerful figures in China during Mao's last years and became a controversial figure.

During this period, Mao Zedong galvanized students and young workers as his Red Guards to attack what he termed as revisionists in the party. Mao told them the revolution was in danger and that they must do all they could to stop the emergence of a privileged class in China. He argued this is what had happened in the Soviet Union under Nikita Khrushchev.

Jiang Qing incited radical youths organized as Red Guards against other senior political leaders and government officials, including Liu Shaoqi, the President of the PRC at the time, and Deng Xiaoping, the Deputy Premier. Internally divided into factions both to the "left" and "right" of Jiang Qing and Mao, not all Red Guards were friendly to Jiang Qing.

The initial storm of the Cultural Revolution came to an end when Liu Shaoqi was forced from all his posts on October 13, 1968. Lin Biao now became Mao's designated successor. Chairman Mao now gave his support to the Gang of Four: Jiang Qing, Wang Hongwen, Yao Wenyuan and Zhang Chunqiao. These four radicals occupied powerful positions in the Politburo after the Tenth Party Congress of 1973.

Jiang Qing also directed operas and ballets with communist and revolutionary content as part of an effort to transform China's culture. The Eight model plays were allegedly created under her guidance. Critics would argue that her influence on art was too restrictive, because she replaced nearly all earlier works of art with revolutionary Maoist works.

Jiang Qing first collaborated with then second-in-charge Lin Biao, but after Lin Biao's death in 1971, she turned against him publicly in the Criticize Lin, Criticize Confucius Campaign. By the mid 1970s, Jiang Qing also spearheaded the campaign against Deng Xiaoping (afterwards saying that this was inspired by Mao). The Chinese public became intensely discontented at this time and chose to blame Jiang Qing, a more accessible and easier target than Chairman Mao.

According to Jung Chang and Jon Halliday's biography of Mao Zedong, Jiang Qing's hobbies included photography, playing cards, and watching foreign movies, especially Gone with the Wind. It was also revealed that Mao's physician, Li Zhisui, had diagnosed her as a hypochondriac.

Downfall

On October 6, 1976 (a month after the death of Mao Zedong on September 9, 1976), Jiang Qing and three others were arrested for attempting to seize power by setting up militia coups in Shanghai and Beijing. After her arrest, Jiang Qing was sent to the Qincheng Prison, and was held under detention for five years. Between 1981 and 1982, she was tried for crimes against innocent people and subverting the government. During her public trials at the "Special Court", Jiang Qing was the only member of the Gang of Four who bothered to argue on her behalf. The defense's argument was that she obeyed the orders of Chairman Mao Zedong at all times. Jiang Qing maintained that all she had done was to defend Chairman Mao. It was at this trial that Jiang Qing made the famous quote "I was Chairman Mao's dog. Whomever he asked me to bite, I bit"^[1] . The official records of the trial have not yet been released. Jiang Qing was sentenced to death, suspended for two years, in 1981, and the sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. This was allegedly to "give her time to repent." While in prison, Jiang Qing was diagnosed with throat cancer. However, she refused an operation. Jiang Qing was released for medical reasons in 1991. At the hospital, Jiang Qing used the name Lǐ Rùnqīng (Chinese: 李润青). On May 14, 1991, Jiang Qing is publicly alleged to have committed suicide by hanging herself in a bathroom of her hospital, at the age of 77.

Names of Jiang Qing

1. Birth name: Lǐ Shūméng (Chinese: 李淑蒙)
2. Given name: Lǐ Jìnhái (Chinese: 李进孩)
3. School name: Lǐ Yúnhè (Chinese: 李云鹤)
4. Modified name: Lǐ Hè (Chinese: 李鹤)
5. Stage name: Lán Píng (Chinese: 蓝苹)
6. Revolutionary pseudonym: Jiāng Qīng (Chinese: 江青)
7. Pen name: Lǐ Jìn (Chinese: 李进)
8. Last used name: Lǐ Rùnqīng (Chinese: 李润青)

References

1. ^ Hutchings, Graham (2001). Modern China. Cambridge: MA: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-01240-2. 

Bibliography

• Jung Chang and Jon Halliday, Mao: The Unknown Story (London, 2005); Jonathan Cape, ISBN 0-679-42271-4
• Ross Terrill, The White-Boned Demon: A Biography of Madame Mao Zedong (New York: Morrow, 1984). ISBN 0-671-74484-4
• Roxane Witke, Comrade Chiang Ch'ing (Boston: Little Brown, 1977). ISBN 0-316-94900-0
• Jung Chang, Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China (London, 1990) ISBN 0-671-68546-5
• Li Zhisui,The Private Life of Chairman Mao (London: Random House, 1996) ISBN 0-09-9648814

See also

• Politics of the People's Republic of China
• Becoming Madame Mao

1980-1981

v • d • e Presidents of the People's Republic of China
Mao Zedong | Madame Jiang Qing (de facto) | Liu Shaoqi | Dong Biwu and Song Qingling | Song Qingling | Li Xiannian | Yang Shangkun | Jiang Zemin | Hu Jintao

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