Cultural Revolution OTD 1976

50th anniversary live-tweeting China's Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution.

[Cultural Revolution OTD 1976 @GPCR50]

4/6/76 With Mao's brief crisis on 30/5/76 diagnosed as a heart attack, doctors have installed 24/7 monitoring and make a daily report to top leaders.

[Cultural Revolution OTD 1976 @GPCR50]

2/6/76 Hua Guofeng receives the King of Nepal in Chengdu. Qiao Guanhua caused a minor incident by (accidentally) failing to meet Hua at the airport.

[Cultural Revolution OTD 1976 @GPCR50]

1/6/76 Qiao Guanhua and his officials are sent to Chengdu to prepare for the King of Nepal's visit (ahead of Hua Guofeng, to Qiao's annoyance).

[Cultural Revolution OTD 1976 @GPCR50]

31/5/76 With the economy showing signs of trouble, the Politburo calls for a conference next month to adjust the plan and make political criticisms.

[Cultural Revolution OTD 1976 @GPCR50]

30/5/76 Mao starts getting very short of breath and sweating heavily. He briefly faints, but aides are quick to get medical help and he stabilises.

[Cultural Revolution OTD 1976 @GPCR50]

28/5/76 Shocked by his appearance in yesterday's photos, Mao says that he won't do meetings with foreign visitors anymore and won't be photographed.

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27/5/76 To explain his obvious poor health, Bhutto tells the press that Mao has a bad cold. In fact, his heart, lungs and nervous system are failing.

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27/5/76 Mao receives Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, accompanied by Hua Guofeng. Bhutto is full of gratitude and flattery for Mao.

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25/5/76 Since the start of April, 685 people have been investigated over the Qingming protests in Liaoning. Of these, 21 have been sentenced.

[Cultural Revolution OTD 1976 @GPCR50]

19/5/76 Tony Crosland tells the British Parliament that on his trip to China he was "constantly criticised" by officials for being too anti-Soviet.

[Cultural Revolution OTD 1976 @GPCR50]

16/5/76 Marking the May 16 Circular of 16/5/66, a new play about the Anting rail incident and rebels toppling capitalist roaders opens in Shanghai.

[Cultural Revolution OTD 1976 @GPCR50]

14/5/76 Lee Kuan Yew visits the "terracotta army" in Xi'an - the first foreign dignitary to do so. Their paint has flaked off since unearthing.

[Cultural Revolution OTD 1976 @GPCR50]

13/5/76 Lee Kuan Yew speaks at a banquet and says that China supports world revolution but has a non-interference policy, so relations are possible.

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13/5/76 Mao updates yesterday's instruction to Qiao Guanhua: he should report to Zhang Chunqiao, Mao Yuanxin and others as well as Hua Guofeng.

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12/5/76 Lee Kuan Yew notices a contempt for Hua Guofeng from Qiao Guanhua. After the meeting, Mao tells Qiao to report to Hua now, rather than him.

[Cultural Revolution OTD 1976 @GPCR50]

12/5/76 Aides translate Mao's murmurs for the benefit of Lee Kuan Yew, and for Hua Guofeng and Qiao Guanhua. The whole meeting is over in 15 minutes.

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12/5/76 Mao receives Lee Kuan Yew. Photographers capture him bloated, head lolling and limp his chair, next to Lee's unhelpfully impeccable posture.

[Cultural Revolution OTD 1976 @GPCR50]

10/5/76 Lee Kuan Yew enters the PRC for the first time via Hong Kong. He flies from Guangzhou to Beijing. Hua Guofeng meets him at the airport.

[Cultural Revolution OTD 1976 @GPCR50]

6/5/76 The new British Foreign Secretary is visiting Beijing to try and sell Harrier jump jets. He discusses the Soviet Union with Hua Guofeng.

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5/5/76 The People's Daily prints a very long article about "Crushing Counter-Revolutionary Public Opinion Using Revolutionary Public Opinion".