Editing Jiang Qing (section)

==== 1966–1969 ====
{{See also|January Storm}}
From 1962, Chairman [[Liu Shaoqi]] and his wife [[Wang Guangmei]] frequently appeared at diplomatic events, earning Wang the title of "First Lady," which reportedly made Jiang Qing jealous. Before Wang's overseas trips, Jiang advised her not to wear jewellery, claiming it looked better. However, upon seeing Wang on television wearing a necklace, Jiang criticised her for displaying "bourgeois style" in a talk with [[Red Guards]].<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |last=Ye |first=Yonglie |author-link=Ye Yonglie |date=2019-11-19 |title=王光美與江青 |url=https://www.bastillepost.com/hongkong/article/5445860-%E8%91%89%E6%B0%B8%E7%83%88%EF%BC%9A%E7%8E%8B%E5%85%89%E7%BE%8E%E8%88%87%E6%B1%9F%E9%9D%92 |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=Bastille Post |language=zh-hant}}</ref> [[File:年北京天安门，林彪与江青.jpg|left|thumb|[[Lin Biao]] with Jiang Qing in Tiananmen in 1966]]
[[Image:1967-07 1967年4月20日北京市革命委员会成立 江青.jpg|thumb|Jiang during the [[Cultural Revolution]]]]On 13 December 1966, Liu Shaoqi voluntarily offered to resign from his positions as [[President of China|President]]. He proposed moving with his wife and children to Yan’an or his hometown in Hunan to take up farming, hoping to bring the Cultural Revolution to an early conclusion and minimise the damage to the country. On 18 December, [[Zhang Chunqiao]], deputy head of the Central Cultural Revolution Group, summoned [[Kuai Dafu]], a leader of the Red Guards at [[Tsinghua University]], and instructed him to launch a campaign to overthrow Liu Shaoqi. On 25 December, Kuai Dafu led thousands of demonstrators in Tiananmen Square, where they publicly chanted the slogan “Down with Liu Shaoqi.”<ref name=":14">{{Cite web |date=2006-07-15 |title=回首文革(6)：接班人之死─刘少奇 |url=https://www.voachinese.com/a/a-21-n2006-07-15-voa5-58446232/1087961.html |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=[[Voice of America]] |language=zh-hans |archive-date=11 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231211151956/https://www.voachinese.com/a/a-21-n2006-07-15-voa5-58446232/1087961.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Central Cultural Revolution Group]] was initially a small body under the [[Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party|Standing Committee of the Politburo]].<ref name=":13" />  With the backing of Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao and Yao Wenyuan initiated a coup in Shanghai in January 1967, consolidating power and gaining support from revolutionary factions like Wang Hongwen.<ref name=":13" /> On 6 January 1967, Red Guards at Tsinghua University, with Jiang Qing's backing, lured Wang to the campus under the pretext of her daughter being in a car accident. Once there, Wang was detained and prosecuted.<ref name=":22" />

Following the Red Guards' disruption of party structures in January 1967, this group replaced the Secretariat and became the central command for the party. Jiang Qing's role as the "First Deputy Head" of the group grew significantly, elevating her political power. [[Chen Boda]], the nominal leader of the group, was repeatedly humiliated by Jiang Qing during this period. Fearing her power, he endured her mistreatment in silence. In one notable incident, after a middle school student scaled his wall, Chen's wife reported the event, sparking a "footprint incident" that enraged Jiang Qing. She demanded Chen move out of Zhongnanhai, and this further strained his relationship with her. Seizing the opportunity, Lin Biao and his wife, Ye Qun, aligned with Chen, who quietly defected to their faction.<ref name=":13" />
[[File:1967-08 1967年 江青与红卫兵.jpg|thumb|Jiang Qing met [[Red Guards]] in 1967]]
On 18 July 1967, a public [[struggle session]] against Liu Shaoqi was held in Zhongnanhai. On 5 August, the Central Cultural Revolution Group approved three separate struggle sessions targeting Liu Shaoqi and his wife, Deng Xiaoping and his wife, and Tao Zhu and his wife. From that point, Liu Shaoqi was completely stripped of his personal freedom. On 16 September 1968, under Jiang Qing's leadership, a special investigation team compiled three volumes of so-called evidence against Liu, largely extracted through torture and coercion. After being imprisoned in Zhongnanhai for over two years, Liu Shaoqi was transferred to Kaifeng, Henan Province, on 17 October 1969, where he subsequently died.<ref name=":14" />

Meanwhile, Jiang's stature continued to rise, though she was still not a member of the Central Committee during the 11th Plenary Session of the 8th Central Committee. At the 9th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in April 1969, Jiang was admitted to the Politburo after Mao Zedong shifted his stance, likely to balance the power of the Lin Biao faction. Mao also approved the entry of Lin Biao's wife, Ye Qun, into the Politburo, further consolidating their influence.<ref name=":13" />