Wang Li (politician)

Wang Li (王力, * August 11, 1922, † 21 October 1996) was a Chinese politician in the time of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. He was Deputy Minister of the Department of International Relations of the Chinese Communist Party ( CCP), as well as propagandist and ghostwriter of the Politburo. Since 1966 he was also a member of the Cultural Revolution Group. In August 1967 he was arrested as a " left-wing extremist ." After 15 years, he was released and lived up to its end of life in Beijing.

Life

Wang Li's original name was Wang Guanbin王光宾. He was born in the small town of Huai'an in Jiangsu Province. The age of 14, he joined in October 1935, the Communist Youth League, and in 1939 he became a member of the Communist Party of China. In 1943 it introduced the CCP as an editor of the party journal " fight and Life" in Shandong Province a. At that time he began to sign with the name of Wang Li. After the victory of China against the Japanese occupiers, he became director of the department of land distribution in the East China Bohai area. At the same time he was there and the party secretary of this department and the tutor of the training group for the training of cadres for the land reform. Later he received the post of Vice Minister of the International Relations Department of the Central Committee of the People's Republic of China.

As an employee of the Department of International Relations, he took as a guest delegate to the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC part. He participated, for example, in the negotiations between the PRC and the Soviet Union, and traveled 10 times to Moscow. In this way he gradually became an influential person in the top ranks of the Communist Party. He contributed to the constitution of important political essays and wrote itself For example, Wang Li worked on behalf of Lin Biao in the famous work "Long live the long victory in the people's war" ( "人民 战争 胜利 万岁" ) with.

When Mao Zedong decided at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in 1966, the " Cultural Revolution Group " set up, Wang Li was equal to one of the members of this group.

Wuhan Incident

On July 20, 1967, came to Wuhan to the so-called Wuhan incident, which is also known under the name " 720 " incident. In this incident, came some revolutionary factions and People's Liberation Army together. The Wuhan Incident was one of the most spectacular uprisings against the Cultural Revolution, which was attended by representatives of the political and military level.

In the summer of 1967, the town has been put through several newly emerged revolutionary groups in turmoil. Mao Zedong then sent two envoys, Wang Li and Xie Fuzhi, to Wuhan. On July 19, Wang Li delivered a speech, which led to even greater tensions in the city. In this speech he said that the biggest contradiction in the Cultural Revolution were a handful of capitalists in the party and in the armed forces. Then some soldiers come to the main gate of the headquarters of the military and demanded that Wang Li should come out and what he meant in his speech to explain. At midnight they were additionally supported by the revolutionary group "One Million Heroes". Da Wang Li did not react, were the two emissaries, Xie Fuzhi and Wang Li, of the members of the "conservative" mass organization, a million heroes, and kidnapped with the support of the military unit 8201. Zhou Enlai had, however, in the negotiations for the release of Wang and Xie success, and on 22 July the two emissaries to Beijing came back.

Due to the spreading unrest and the consequent loss of control in the country Mao Zedong tried to appease the military leadership by the so-called Lesser Three members of the " Cultural Revolution Group " - Wang Li, Guan Feng and Qi Benyu - sacrificed. Wang Li was accused that he had given a speech on August 7, in which he had criticized the system of Chinese foreign policy. This in turn led some left-wing extremists to set the British Embassy on fire on August 22. This event led to long-term unpleasant tensions in international relations in the PRC.

On August 30, 1967, the " error " of the first two were discussed: Wang Li was declared a " left-wing extremist ." He was led to Qinchen prison where he spent 15 years of his life. The same fate met Guan Feng and, with a small delay, from 1968 also Qi Benyu. The procedure is known as the " Wang Guan Qi affair" gone down in history.

Retirement

1982 at the Third Plenum of the 11th Congress of the Central Committee Wang Li was set free again. He was asked by the state in a monthly rent and an apartment in Beijing, where he spent the rest of his life with his wife. Since 1982, he led a normal life: In retirement, he read a lot and wrote own some works. In some book stores to see him much. Some historians, particularly those who were concerned with the " Great Cultural Revolution ", sometimes came to visit him. It was said that he was always able to describe the circumstances at the time quite objectively. In the book published by the magazine publishing the CPC Central Committee in 2003 work " Biography of Mao Zedong ( 1949-1967 ) " ( "毛泽东 传( 1949-1967年) " ), not a few made ​​by Wang Li historical data were used.

On 21 October 1996, he died at the age of 75 years in an oncology hospital in a tumor.

Works

• "An Insider 's Account of the Cultural Revolution: Wang Li's Memories"
• " Lishi jiang xuangao where Wuzui " ( " History will pronounce my Innocent " )
• "Memories of a Year and Two Months"
• " Wang Li fansi lu: Wanh Li yi gao " ( " Wang Li's Reflections" )
• " Wang Li Tan Mao Zedong " ( " Wang Li on Mao Zedong " )