Gang of Four, term of opprobrium given by the Chinese Communist authorities to four persons held responsible for the excesses of the Cultural Revolution Cultural Revolution, 1966–76, mass mobilization of urban Chinese youth inaugurated by Mao Zedong in an attempt to prevent the development of a bureaucratized Soviet style of Communism.
..... Click the link for more information. (1966–69). They were also accused of trying to seize power after the deaths (1976) of Mao Zedong Mao Zedong or Mao Tse-tung (mou dzŭ-d
..... Click the link for more information. and Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai or Chou En-lai (both: jō ĕn-lī), 1898–1976, Chinese Communist leader.
..... Click the link for more information. . The most notable of the Gang of Four was Jiang Qing Jiang Qing or Chiang Ch'ing (both: jyäng jĭng)
..... Click the link for more information. , Mao's widow. The others were Wang Hongwen, Yao Wenyuan, and Zhang Chunqiao. They were imprisoned in 1976, tried in 1980, and sentenced in 1981. Their sentences ranged from death (later commuted to life in prison) to 20 years in prison.

Gang of Four

Most powerful members of a radical political elite convicted for implementing the harsh policies of Mao Zedong during the Cultural Revolution. The four were Wang Hongwen, Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan, and Mao's third wife, Jiang Qing. Manipulating the youthful Red Guards, the Gang of Four controlled four areas: intellectual education, basic theories in science and technology, teacher-student relations and school discipline, and party policies regarding intellectuals. The turmoil of the Cultural Revolution subsided after 1969, but the Gang of Four maintained their power until Mao's death in 1976, when they were imprisoned; they stood trial in 1980–81.