London Chinese Cultural Centre

China’s Cultural Revolution (documentary: OPUS Production)

• Sat 28 Oct 3.30
• Tues 1 Oct 8.15
• “The Play’s the Thing”
• Producers: J. Mervyn Williams, Amanda Rees 25 minutes

The Cultural Revolution, which started in l966, had less to do with culture than with a violent attempt to control the minds of the Chinese people. Yet it was a play, which slyly criticised Chairman Mao, that raised the curtain on this horrendous period in China’s history, acting as a catalyst for the brutal reforms.

Beginning with an excerpt from the Dismissal of Hai Rui, this programme presents the details of the movement that led to the deaths of half a million people before finally consuming itself Jack Gray, author
of Rebellions and Revolutions, and Zhang Yongning, son of a Party official, offer their insights into the Communist politics of the day