Editing 1976 Tiananmen incident

{{Short description|1976 protest in Beijing, China}}
{{About|the protest in 1976||Tiananmen Square protests (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2012}}
{{Infobox civil conflict
| title = 1976 Tiananmen incident
| subtitle = 
| partof = the [[Cultural Revolution]]
| image = Tiananmen Incident.jpg
| caption = Crowds of mourners gathering in Tiananmen Square on April 5, 1976
| date = April 4–5, 1976<br /> (2 days)
| place = [[Tiananmen Square]]
| coordinates = 
| causes = Death of [[Zhou Enlai]]<br>Discontent with the [[Cultural Revolution]]
| goals = 
| methods = 
| status = 
| result = 
| side1 = [[People's Liberation Army]]<br>Militia Groups
| side2 = Mourners <br> Protestors
| leadfigures1 = [[Jiang Qing]]<br>[[Hua Guofeng]]
| leadfigures2 = No centralized leadership
| howmany1 = Unknown
| howmany2 = 100,000
| fatalities = Unknown
| injuries = 
| arrests = 40
| detentions = 
| charged = 
| fined = 
| casualties_label = 
| notes = 
| sidebox = 
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| order = st
| s = 四五天安门事件
| t = 四五天安門事件
| l = 5 April Tian'anmen incident
| p = sìwǔ Tiān'ānmén shìjiàn
| w = {{Tone superscript|ssu4 T'ien1-an1-men4 shih4-chien4}}
| j = {{Tone superscript|sei3ng5 Tin1ngon1mun4 si6gin6}}
}}
{{History of the People's Republic of China}}

The '''1976 Tiananmen incident''' or the '''April 5 Tiananmen incident''' ({{zh|s=四五天安门事件}}) was a mass gathering and protest that took place on April 4–5, 1976, at [[Tiananmen Square]] in [[Beijing]], China. The incident occurred on the traditional day of mourning, the [[Qingming Festival]], after the [[Nanjing incident (1976)|Nanjing incident]], and was triggered by the death of Premier [[Zhou Enlai]] earlier that year. Some people strongly disapproved of the removal of the displays of mourning, and began gathering in the Square to protest against the central authorities, then largely under the auspices of the [[Gang of Four]], who ordered the Square to be cleared.

The event was labeled "counterrevolutionary" immediately after its occurrence by the Communist Party's Central Committee and served as a gateway to the dismissal and house arrest of then–Vice Premier [[Deng Xiaoping]], who was accused of planning the event, while he insisted that he was nearby only for a haircut.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Teiwes |first1=Frederick C. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/568038301 |title=The end of the Maoist era : Chinese politics during the twilight of the Cultural Revolution, 1972–1976 |last2=Sun |first2=Warren |date=2007 |publisher=M.E. Sharpe |isbn=978-0765621993 |location=Armonk, N.Y. |pages=490 |oclc=568038301 |author-link=Frederick C. Teiwes}}</ref> The Central Committee's decision on the event was reversed after the [[Cultural Revolution]] ended, as it would later be officially hailed as a display of [[patriotism]].

== Origins ==
The death of Chinese Premier [[Zhou Enlai]], a widely respected senior Chinese leader, on January 8, 1976, prompted the incident. For several years before his death, Zhou was involved in a political power struggle against other senior leaders in the [[Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party]], with Zhou's most visible and powerful antagonists being the four senior members who came to be called the [[Gang of Four]].<ref>Bonavia, David. ''China's Warlords''. New York: Oxford University Press. 1995. p. 24. {{ISBN|0195861795}}</ref> The leader of the clique, [[Jiang Qing]], was the wife of Communist Party Chairman, [[Mao Zedong]]. To defuse an expected popular outpouring of sentiment at Zhou's death, the [[Chinese Communist Party]] limited the period of public mourning.{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}}

On April 4, 1976, on the eve of China's annual [[Qingming Festival]], in which Chinese traditionally pay homage to their deceased ancestors, thousands gathered around the [[Monument to the People's Heroes]] in [[Tiananmen Square]] to commemorate the life and death of Zhou Enlai by laying wreaths, banners, poems, placards, and flowers at the foot of the Monument.<ref name="Hanshan">{{cite book|author=寒山碧原著，伊藤潔縮譯，唐建宇、李明翻譯|title=《鄧小平傳》|location=香港|publisher=東西文化事業公司|date=January 1993}}</ref> The most obvious purpose of this memorial was to eulogize Zhou, but Jiang Qing, [[Zhang Chunqiao]], and [[Yao Wenyuan]] were also attacked for their alleged evil actions against the Premier.<ref name= Wong>Wong, J. (1995). ''Red China Blues''. New York. Doubleday/Anchor Books. 406 pages. pp. 165–171. {{ISBN|0385476795}}</ref> A small number of slogans left at Tiananmen even attacked Mao himself, and his Cultural Revolution.<ref name="Spence">[[Jonathan Spence|Spence, Jonathan D.]] ''[[The Search for Modern China]]'', New York: [[W.W. Norton and Company]], 1999. {{ISBN|0393973514}}. {{page needed|date=April 2021}}</ref>

Up to two million people may have visited Tiananmen Square on April 4.<ref name="Spence"/>{{page needed|date=April 2021}} First-hand observations of the events in Tiananmen Square on April 4 report that all levels of society, from the poorest peasants to high-ranking PLA officers and the children of high-ranking cadres, were represented in the activities. Those who participated were motivated by a mixture of anger over the treatment of Zhou, revolt against Mao and his policies, apprehension for China's future, and defiance of those who would seek to punish the public for commemorating Zhou's memory.<ref name="Wong"/> There is nothing to suggest that events were coordinated from any position of leadership: it was a spontaneous demonstration reflecting widespread public sentiment. Deng Xiaoping was notably absent, and he instructed his children to avoid being seen at the square.<ref name="Spence"/>{{page needed|date=April 2021}}

== Incident ==
On the night of April 4, the [[Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party]] held a meeting to discuss the situation in Tiananmen Square. Party elders such as [[Hua Guofeng]] and [[Wu De]], who were not close allies of the Gang of Four, expressed criticism at the protesters and some of their slogans which were critical of the Gang of Four and party leadership. Meanwhile, the Gang of Four seemed to have been alarmed by the personal attacks at the event, and began to use their controlled newspapers to accuse Deng Xiaoping of encouraging and controlling the protesters.<ref name="Cheng">[[Nien Cheng|Cheng, Nien]], (1996). ''[[Life and Death in Shanghai]]''. New York. Penguin Books. 543 pages. pp. 470–471. {{ISBN|014010870X}}</ref> They consulted with the sickly Mao Zedong, claiming these people to be "[[capitalist roader]]s" who were hitting back at the Proletarian Revolution.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

Government action began on the morning of April 5, when the [[People's Liberation Army]] began removing articles of mourning from Tiananmen. On the morning of April 5, crowds gathering around the memorial arrived to discover that it had been completely removed by the police during the night, angering them. Attempts to suppress the mourners led to a violent riot, in which police cars were set on fire and a crowd of over 100,000 people forced its way into several government buildings surrounding the square.<ref name="Spence"/>{{page needed|date=April 2021}}

In response, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party made the decision to forcibly clear Tiananmen Square of mourners.<ref name=Revisited /> Security forces under the PLA's Beijing detachment, alongside urban militia under the control of the Gang of Four, went into the Square to forcefully clear the area.<ref name=Revisited /> The militia were reported to have been carrying wooden clubs and leather belts.<ref name=Revisited>Teiwes, Frederick C. and Warren Sun, "The First Tiananmen Incident Revisited: Elite Politics and Crisis Management at the End of the Maoist Era," ''Pacific Affairs'' Vol: 77 Issue: 2 (2004) pp. 211–235.</ref> Approximately 40 arrests occurred with no casualties, and by the morning of April 6, all articles of mourning had been removed.<ref name=Revisited />

By 6:00 pm, most of the crowd had dispersed, but a small group remained until 10:00 pm, when a security force entered Tiananmen Square and arrested them.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} Many of those arrested were later sentenced to "people's trial" at [[Peking University]], or were sentenced to prison work camps.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} Incidents similar to those which occurred in Beijing on April 4–5 occurred in [[Zhengzhou]], [[Kunming]], [[Taiyuan]], [[Changchun]], [[Shanghai]], [[Wuhan]], and [[Guangzhou]].{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} Possibly because of his close association with Zhou, Deng Xiaoping was formally stripped of all positions "inside and outside the Party" on April 7.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

== Legacy ==
After Mao's death, Hua and [[Wang Dongxing]] played an important role in arresting the Gang of Four in October 1976. They subsequently expressed their opinion that the Tiananmen incident was not a counter-revolutionary activity. Along with other party elders, they [[Political rehabilitation|rehabilitated]] Deng and brought him back to Beijing. Nonetheless, Deng and his reformist allies subsequently became involved in a power struggle against Hua and Wang, who were more traditionally minded Maoists. Deng emerged as China's [[Paramount Leader]] in 1978.<ref>{{Cite web |title=中国改革开放40再出发 |trans-title=Starting Again from China's Reform and Opening Up in the 40th Anniversary |url=http://interactive.zaobao.com/2018/china-40-years-of-reform/ |access-date=2024-03-18 |website=中国改革开放40再出发 |language=en |quote=1978年后，邓小平成为中共最高领导人，引导中国走上改革开放道路，被称为“中国改革开放的总设计师”。}}</ref>

Many of the 1976 demonstrators had written poems in memory of Zhou Enlai and as an expression of political opposition to the political situation in China.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lattimore |first1=David |title=Politics an Poems |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/12/books/politics-an-poems.html |access-date=12 November 2019 |work=New York Times |date=12 April 1981 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112145056/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/12/books/politics-an-poems.html |archive-date=12 November 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> Poetry created during the incident was later published in four unofficial editions by students from Beijing's Number Two Foreign Language Institute, a school with close ties to Deng Xiaoping.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kraus |first1=Richard Curt |title=Brushes with Power: Modern Politics and the Chinese Art of Calligraphy |date=1991 |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley |isbn=978-0520072855 |pages=132–135 |url=http://www.tsquare.tv/film/TNMpoems.html |access-date=12 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021015124406/http://tsquare.tv/film/TNMpoems.html |archive-date=15 October 2002 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In December 1978, at the Third Plenum of the CCP Eleventh Central Committee, the Chinese Communist Party reassessed its position on the Tiananmen incident of 1976 and declared it a "revolutionary event", a complete rebuttal of the previous position put forward by the Party.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jian |first1=Guo |last2=Song |first2=Yongyi |last3=Zhou |first3=Yuan |title=Historical Dictionary of the Chinese Cultural Revolution |date=2006 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0810864917 |page=288 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T5-4zOdHKOIC&q=tiananmen+poems+1976&pg=PA288 |access-date=12 November 2019}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Beijing Spring]]
* [[Day of Sorrow]]
* [[May Fourth Movement]]
* [[Tiananmen Square protests of 1989]]
* [[U Thant funeral crisis]], [[Burmese Way to Socialism|Burma (Myanmar)]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Cultural Revolution}}{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1976 protests]]
[[Category:Tiananmen Square]]
[[Category:1976 in Beijing]]
[[Category:Cultural Revolution]]
[[Category:Political controversies in China]]
[[Category:Political repression in China]]
[[Category:Protests in China]]
[[Category:April 1976 in Asia]]
[[Category:Zhou Enlai]]
[[Category:Riots and civil disorder in China]]